By Hal Wirths

Can you imagine just showing up for work to manage over 200 employees and collecting a six-figure salary without ever being hired by someone? Even George Costanza couldn’t pull that off with the Penske file.

The answer is a very clear “no,” but that is exactly what Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration expects us to believe with their collective “I don’t know” answers. It is hard to believe nobody knows who hired Albert J. Alvarez, the person accused of raping a volunteer during Murphy’s 2017 campaign for governor.

At least seven high-ranking Murphy aides have testified under oath for more than 25 hours combined. So far not a single aide has been able to provide lawmakers with an answer to the simple question of “who hired him?” Not even Murphy’s chief of staff or chief counsel can say how the accused rapist was hired for a high-level state job last year. Alvarez has denied the allegation.

Murphy has said he had no role in the hiring and was likely made aware only after his appointment. He continues to punt questions from reporters, telling NJ Advance Media reporter Matt Arco on Tuesday: “I’ve said everything I’m gonna say.”

As a former member of Gov. Chris Christie’s transition team and a commissioner of the Labor Department, I can say with certainty that none of this makes any sense.

I was involved in hundreds of hires and promotions. If the governor or his staff ever questioned how or why someone had been hired, they would have been given the answer quickly. If they didn’t, the person asked would have expected to be shown the door.

From the moment Murphy conceded last October that the “hire should have never happened,” wouldn’t you think that someone in his administration would have found out who made the decision? Wouldn’t you think that before facing a legislative panel about the hire, administration officials would have asked that question themselves and be prepared with the answer?

Without that answer, we are left to wonder: Who is actually in charge of state government?

Besides adding to our collective frustration and the victim’s pain, the stonewalling comes at a great cost to the public. To aid in their investigation, lawmakers have hired two veteran defense attorneys paid as much as $350 per hour. Likewise, Murphy hired a former attorney general to serve as the administration’s lawyer before the probe at the same rate. That is on top of the salary of a former state Supreme Court justice Murphy hired to investigate the matter for his administration.

How do we expect any of those high-paid lawyers to help us get to the truth if no one can provide an answer to one very simple question?

Murphy could clear this up by simply providing answers himself as the state’s chief executive in charge of running the government. Maybe he should be the one to testify; otherwise it seems that the buck doesn’t stop with him.

Time and again transparency is an issue, and inaction is the preferred path because there is less risk if you do nothing. Wherever the buck does stop, the public deserves answers to simple questions. That’s the least Murphy can do.

Harold “Hal” Wirths was state labor commissioner from 2010 to 2016 and is a Republican state assemblyman for the 24th Legislative District representing Sussex County and parts of Warren and Morris counties.

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