Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff, Pete Cammarano, testified Tuesday that he personally asked the top Murphy staffer accused of raping Katie Brennan to “make arrangements” to leave state government employment in March, though the official, Albert J. Alvarez, would not resign until October.

Cammarano’s testimony before a committee of state lawmakers reveals the Murphy administration tried to push Alvarez out of his job months earlier than what was previously disclosed. Alvarez was also asked to make plans to leave in June.

Cammarano said that while he did not fire Alvarez outright in March, he made it clear he was to leave.

“What I was saying to him was very clear,” Cammarano told the lawmakers at the Statehouse in Trenton. “Those of us who have been in Trenton for a long time do understand that when the chief of staff tells you you need to look for employment outside of state government, the message is clear."

But he didn’t leave. Alvarez remained in his job until he was contacted by the Wall Street Journal in October.

Cammarano was the third state official to testify Tuesday before a special legislative committee investigating the Murphy administration’s handling of Brennan’s rape allegation against Alvarez. He’s also the highest ranking. The committee will resume Cammarano’s testimony at its next meeting on Jan. 8.

In his prepared remarks, Cammarano told lawmakers that he has followed the advice of Murphy’s transition counsel and administration counsel since he first learned of Brennan’s allegations in December 2017. He kept the allegations confidential, limited Alvarez’s hiring ability, and finally asked Alvarez to find another job, all as he was advised by Murphy’s top lawyers.

Cammarano also said he was also advised not to tell the governor, and that Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy didn’t know until October and “were blindsided and completely shocked.”

On Dec. 1, 2017, Cammarano said that Justin Braz, the deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs who testified earlier Tuesday, informed him someone had accused of Alvarez of rape during the 2017 campaign and believed criminal charges were forthcoming. Braz shared the allegations but not Brennan’s name.

Cammarano said he believed at the time that Brennan had not authorized Braz to bring the allegations to him and transition counsel Raj Parikh. Braz testified earlier that he did so with Brennan’s permission. Braz soon updated him that the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office had, in fact, declined to press charges.

Parikh conducted a background check that came back clean and advised Cammarano to “take action to ensure that Mr. Alvarez was not in a position to retaliate against the alleged victim ... by limiting his hiring responsibilities and his ability to reject any resume submitted to the transition by anyone who could be the alleged victim," he said.

Alvarez served as deputy director of personnel for the transition team before he was hired as chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

Cammarano also said he was advised to not discuss the allegation with Alvarez and to keep it confidential.

Then in March, Cammarano said, he learned Brennan’s identity from Murphy’s chief counsel, Matt Platkin, whom Brennan told personally.

He said Platkin, too, recommended he not discuss Brennan’s allegations with anyone, “including the governor.”

On March 26, on Platkin’s counsel, Cammarano said he brought Alvarez into his office, let him know he was accused of sexual assault and that “he should make arrangements to leave his state employment at the Schools Development Authority.”

“Mr. Alvarez adamantly denied the allegations and became teary-eyed and emotional, but I believed that he understood my instruction that he was to leave state service,” Cammarano said. “That was the last time I ever interacted with Mr. Alvarez.”

Cammarano told the committee that he at no point told Murphy about the allegations and he believed the governor and First Lady Tammy Murphy did not learn of them until the Wall Street Journal started asking questions.

“They both were blindsided and completely shocked," he said.

During questioning from lawmakers, Cammarano said that while he was advised against it, there “were times” he thought he should loop in the governor.

Charlie McKenna, Alvarez’s boss at the Schools Development Authority until McKenna resigned in August, testified earlier Tuesday that in June he also told Alvarez to begin looking for another job, at Platkin’s request.

McKenna, the former chief counsel to then-Gov. Chris Christie, described Alvarez as a political hire who landed on his doorstep.

He said he received a text message from Jose Lazano, Murphy’s transition chair, letting him know Alvarez would be his chief of staff. McKenna described Alvarez as a good employee.

McKenna told the investigating committee that he was called to the front office, where Platkin asked him to encourage Alvarez to make his way out. This came days after Brennan emailed the Murphys asking for a chance to discuss a “sensitive matter," without disclosing more detail. McKenna said he was never told about the rape allegation.

“He was calm. He seemed to understand the situation,” McKenna said of Alvarez. “He basically said I didn’t do anything wrong, but I understand the situation and I don’t want to embarrass the governor.”

McKenna said he wasn’t alarmed that months went by and Alvarez had not left state government.

Alvarez has not been charged with a crime and has, through his attorney, denied the allegations.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.