As state lawmakers prepare to probe the hiring practices of Gov. Phil Murphy's administration, his office is providing new details about the duties of a former campaign consultant who was involved in a Bermudan political scandal.

The push to clarify the role of Derrick Green and provide documentation of his employment comes three weeks after NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey began asking about the work he does for the governor.

The legislative probe was spurred by a sexual assault allegation a former Murphy campaign volunteer made against Al Alvarez, who resigned last month as chief of staff at the state Schools Development Authority. Alvarez denied the allegation and was not charged, but a bipartisan committee plans to investigate the hiring process of the Murphy transition team. Murphy has also ordered an independent investigation.

Green and Alvarez were among Murphy's first hires after taking office. But it was unclear from public records exactly what Green did.

He was listed in payroll records as a "govt rep 1" in the Secretary of State's office earning $140,000 a year, but, at that time, three people in the office said they did not see him in the office or know who he was.

Green now earns $155,000, according to payroll records, thanks to a law Murphy signed to give certain staff raises.

On Oct. 14, the Network asked the governor's office what Green does and where, and whether he had an office in Trenton. That same day, the Wall Street Journal published the allegations about Alvarez.

Murphy's office provided Green's official title — senior adviser on diversity, faith, urban and regional growth — but did not respond to those questions.

Murphy departed later that night on a trade mission to Germany and Israel. The Network published a story on Green on Oct. 15.

Last week, after the Legislature authorized the investigative committee and gave it subpoena authority, Murphy's office provided more details about Green's role in the administration.

Murphy's office said Green was on "mobility," meaning he is listed in payroll records in one department but works in another. That is a common practice of governors.

Murphy's office on Nov. 2 also showed the Network handwritten time sheets for Green, photos of his fourth-floor office in the governor's temporary headquarters on State Street that were taken that day and emails among Green and a Cabinet official for events. That type of information had been requested the day before the initial Green story ran, and before lawmakers decided to investigate the administration's hiring practices.

At the time, the administration did not offer detailed specifics on Green's daily activities but later offered a fuller description of his outreach duties. Green reports directly to Murphy's chief of staff and is responsible for coordinating the administration's contact with leaders in the state's minority and faith communities, said Mahen Gunaratna, Murphy's communications director.

As an example of Green's job duties, he routinely coordinates meetings with community stakeholders and solicits feedback on administration policies, Gunaratna said, adding that Green works "very closely" with aides assigned to outreach to labor groups and the LGBT community. One such community meeting was organized by Green in October to brief several groups before a Murphy speech on the economy.

Ahead of an Atlantic City event with the governor, Green was responsible for helping to invite 200 people and help with policy briefings. Green, Gunaratna said, has focused on building relationships between minority groups and the attorney general's office and the state police.

In addition to Green and Alvarez, the administration also hired Marcellus Jackson, who admitted to taking bribes while a Passaic councilman, as an aide in the Department of Education. Then they learned that Jackson was prohibited from working in state government because of his public corruption conviction. Jackson resigned in September.

The Network inquired about Green because he had employed Jackson through his consulting firm during the Murphy campaign and because Green was also a key figure in a scandal in Bermuda known as Jetgate.

Oct. 15 story:Murphy hired aide who was part of investigation into secret Bermuda bank account

Murphy investigation:NJ lawmakers get subpoena power after sex assault claims

Faith leaders weigh in

As Murphy's senior adviser on faith and diversity, Green is tasked with cultivating and maintaining ties to the black and faith-based community as he did during the campaign. Murphy's office points to the fact that Murphy received 94 percent of the black vote last year as a testament to Green's work.

But at least two black faith leaders have expressed concerns.

In October 2017, Imam Mustafa El-Amin of Masjid Ibrahim in Newark emailed Murphy about criticism "brewing among the African-American Muslim community" because he hadn't visited his mosque, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Network. Murphy visited the mosque later that month.

After Murphy won, though, El-Amin sent Green a congratulatory message that he "did a wonderful job." He said in the interview that Green did perform well overall but that he took his concerns directly to Murphy because Green hadn't adequately addressed them in his view. He also emphasized that he supports Murphy "100 percent."

Bishop Jethro James of Paradise Baptist Church, also in Newark, said he doesn't think Green is advocating for the best interests of the African-American community. James sat on one of Murphy's transition committees but has been critical of Murphy, particularly his push to legalize marijuana. And last month James said that Sen. Bob Menendez and Democrats take the black vote for granted.

"Derrick, he eats at the governor’s table so he’s not going to take sides with the African-American community per se if it’s not in the governor’s wishes,” James said in an interview. “He’s a liaison to do the governor’s bidding and sort of keep the African-American community as quiet as possible," James added. "I don’t see him as an effective advocate for the people."

The Rev. Steffie Bartley of Elizabeth's New Hope Memorial Baptist Church does, however.

He reached out to the Network on Sunday — after the Network raised questions about El-Amin's email to Murphy. Bartley offered an interview during which he said he met Green once a month, sometimes more, during the campaign and they discussed policy and strategy to ensure greater diversity and more opportunities for minorities in the state.

"He has done an outstanding job since the beginning to galvanize the African-American community, to finally have input in the state of New Jersey. This administration has proven to the African-Americans that they just didn’t come out and get our votes. But they’re actually doing something after the votes were cast," said Bartley, who is also a member of Al Sharpton's civil rights organization National Action Network.

Bermuda and Maryland connection

Green, like Jackson, was one of Murphy's earliest supporters. His firm, Green Consultants, was paid $17,000 between November 2015 and May 2016 by New Way for New Jersey, the political organization Murphy led before announcing his candidacy, according to Internal Revenue Service records.

Green Consultants was then paid more than $2 million from June 2016 through Murphy's victory in November 2017, according to state records.

Along with his two-decade history of working for former U.S. senator and Gov. Jon Corzine as well as faith organizations, Green came to the Murphy campaign with a political scandal in his background.

In 2012, Green worked on the campaign of the One Bermuda Alliance seeking to take power in Bermuda. He and an associate, Steven DeCosta, had set up a bank account under the name Bermuda Political Action Club but didn't disclose it to alliance leadership, according to an investigation by its former chairman, Thad Hollis.

The political account accepted $350,000 from a group of American businessmen and Green and DeCosta authorized the withdrawal of about $348,000, according to the investigation. Green and DeCosta said the account was used for "campaign efforts" but the party did not receive those funds and the account "did not follow the established protocols," the investigation said.

Police are still investigating the broader scandal known as Jetgate, in which the former Bermuda premier took a flight on one of the donor's private jets to meet with that donor. Green is not a focus of that investigation.

Because of that history, the Network asked Murphy last week if he would publicly release invoices of his top-paid campaign consulting firms, including Green's. State law requires campaigns to disclose their fundraising and expenditures but not details that consultants provide to the campaign, such as invoices for work performed.

Murphy said "we stand on the side of transparency" at the event. But campaign attorney Jonathan Berkon later declined to provide consultant documents, saying that "the campaign fully disclosed what it paid its vendors and provided a description of the services they provided, as required by law."

In two instances this year, including after Jackson's resignation, Murphy raised race when asked about personnel issues. Green, who is black, did the same.

“It is amazing to me that, after years of MWBEs getting the short shrift in politics, in particular African American political firms, there is such deep suspicion when an African American-owned firm finally has a seat at the table," Green said in a statement, using an acronym for minority and women-owned businesses. "I’m deeply proud of the work I’ve done for over 20 years including for Governor Murphy, Senator and Governor Corzine, the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey, and others to engage the Black community and people of faith all across New Jersey.”

Before Green became so active in New Jersey and Bermuda, he worked primarily in Maryland politics. He managed Jack B. Johnson's campaign for Prince George's county executive in 2002, then became his deputy chief of staff when he took office in 2003. Green left in 2006 to lobby, according to the Washington Post.

Four years after Green left his deputy chief position, Johnson was charged with public corruption. Green was not implicated or charged in that crime and he said through the governor's office that he was not interviewed by investigators.