Pete Cammarano insisted under oath Tuesday that his boss, Gov. Phil Murphy, was kept out of the loop about allegations of sexual assault swirling through his administration.

Cammarano, Murphy's outgoing chief of staff, seemed intent on dispelling the cloud of doubt hovering over Murphy since 31-year-old Katie Brennan's accusations rocked his administration two months ago.

"There are times that I wish that I told the governor,'' he testified before a joint legislative panel in Trenton, which is investigating the Murphy administration's bungled response to Brennan's allegations that she was raped by a Murphy aide during the governor's campaign in 2017.

Yet Cammarano's testimony produced more questions than answers about the scandal that threatens Murphy's credentials as a #MeToo movement champion; as the progressive governor who boasts of a historic hiring offire staffer accused of sexual assault, witnesses say

After Brennan personally detailed the allegations in March to Matthew Platkin, Murphy's chief counsel, Cammarano told Alvarez that he "should make arrangements to leave" his post as chief of staff at the Schools Development Authority. Alvarez denied the allegations and got "teary-eyed and emotional,'' Cammarano testifed.

But Cammarano said he believed Alvarez "understood my instruction that he was to leave state service."

Apparently, he didn't.

Alvarez had to be told a second time. Ten weeks later, in early June, Schools Development Authority director Charles Mckenna told Alvarez that he should "step back" from state government work. McKenna, a holdover from Republican Gov. Chris Christie, was ordered by Platkin to urge Alvarez out the door.

Platkin's order came days after a frustrated Brennan emailed Murphy and