New Jersey’s highest-ranking female state lawmaker, state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, said Thursday that Gov. Phil Murphy’s full-throated defense of his administration’s handling a rape allegation against a top staffer “is a disservice to the women of New Jersey.”

Earlier Thursday, Murphy reacted to a report that blasted his administration’s response to Katie Brennan’s allegation, saying he stands behind his aides, despite findings that they mishandled the allegation and accusations that they misled lawmakers.

Weinberg, a fellow Democrat, is co-chairwoman of the special legislative committee that investigated Murphy’s transition team and administration. That committee released its final report Wednesday, concluding that “the people who were entrusted with properly and responsibly handling Ms. Brennan’s complaint failed her at every step of the way.”

In a one-sentence statement, Weinberg, D-Bergen, said: “The governor’s response to the select committees’ careful report is a disservice to the women of New Jersey.”

The report was highly critical of Murphy’s aides, whom it criticized for a lack of candor and “evasive or misleading testimony" before the legislative committee. It questioned why officials neglected to document legal advice dispensed, formal employment actions taken, or even Brennan’s complaint. It faulted transition and administration leaders for failing to protect Brennan and keeping Murphy in the dark.

“While every witness testified under oath that they agreed that the accusation was very serious, and to the extent they knew Ms. Brennan believed she was telling the truth, the actions or inactions of several members of the transition and the administration at key points reflect a more disturbing and dismissive response to Ms. Brennan’s allegations,” the report said.

Murphy said Thursday he believes “The team in my office did what they believed was the right thing. And I stand by them.”

He ordered his own review of Alvarez’s hiring and his administration put in place new rules for sexual misconduct allegations, he said.

“Should we do more about this? We’ve done gobs about this,” Murphy said.

Brennan, chief of staff to the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, has said that she was attacked by Albert J. Alvarez in her apartment after a campaign gathering in April 2017.

Alvarez was at the time director of Latino and Muslim outreach for Murphy’s campaign, then deputy director of personnel for the transition, and finally, chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

While they denied doing so, the legislative report concluded that transition chief Jose Lozano and Pete Cammarano, who was incoming chief of staff, decided to hire Alvarez even though they were aware he had been accused of rape. Members of Murphy’s inner circle testified that while Alvarez was told to leave twice, he kept his job for months after Brennan shared her allegation.

Alvarez has denied Brennan’s allegation and was not charged with a crime after two criminal investigations.

Brennan said that she confided in members of Murphy’s transition team and administration in the days and months after she says she was raped but her “pleas went unanswered.”

In a statement responding to the report, Brennan said Murphy’s administration must “hold accountable those who failed to take action or actively protected Alvarez.”

“To truly claim the moral authority to implement a strong, pro-women, progressive policy agenda, the individuals in your senior leadership who have been complicit must be held to account,” she said.

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

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