BREAKING: More Complaints Of Toxic Work Environment Under Murphy

BREAKING: More Complaints Of Toxic Work Environment Under Murphy

Trenton, NJ – This weekend, the Star Ledger reported on three new women coming forward with their stories as victims within a toxic work environment fostered by Phil Murphy.

The report included the following excerpts:

There are more women, though, still hiding in the shadows, fearing retaliation if they step forward. Over the last week, I spoke to three sources who say they witnessed or experienced mistreatment of women.

One woman said a male campaign staffer ran his hand along her thigh during a meeting, and cracked, “Oh, you shaved today.” She describes a “frat-boy culture, a lot of dick jokes, talking about going to strip clubs during meetings.” She didn’t complain, she said, “because I knew … I would suffer for it.”

She also says she spoke to Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy about it personally. “I told Phil about the environment for women, about the lack of professionalism, about my concerns about the people he hired,” she says. The governor’s press office didn’t return repeated calls to discuss it.

A second source witnessed a male campaign staffer threaten a woman staffer physically. “He said, ‘If you don’t wipe that (f…ing) smirk off your face, I’ll wipe it off for you.” When the woman confronted the man, saying he was “unhinged and disrespectful” he responded, in the meeting, by saying “Shut the (f…) up.” The accused man, whose name is withheld here since the accuser is anonymous, denies it.

In the third case, a woman says she witnessed harassment of a younger woman, complained about it, and remains frustrated that nothing was done. She won’t step up for fear of retaliation. “I really want to help these women, but please,” she says.

NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt has responded with the following statement:

“How many more women need to come forward as victims of Phil Murphy’s toxic work environment before the Governor shows real leadership on this issue? That leadership starts with full transparency and personal accountability. It is the Governor’s duty to set the tone for his Administration’s workplace environment, and he is failing in that duty. If we refuse to speak up when others are silenced, are we not complicit in their struggle? I refuse to be so complicit.”

In December, the Star Ledger reported that 20 women in the political arena came forward as victims of having been groped, sexually propositioned, harassed or marginalized while trying to build careers in state and local politics.

Earlier this year, Chairman Steinhardt informed Republican County Chairs that anyone who requires non-disclosure agreements that would prevent employees from commenting publicly on toxic workplace would be denied NJGOP support.

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