Dunn: Trooper Allegations About Tammy Murphy Needs to be Investigated

A North Jersey Assemblywoman is calling for an investigation over the allegation that New Jersey’s First Lady refused to accommodate a breastfeeding state trooper who was assigned for personal security.

The claim is part of a lawsuit filed earlier this month by four troopers against the State Police claiming they were discriminated against because of their gender. The specific allegation against Tammy Murphy, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, is that she denied a request for a trooper to pump at the family’s house while on duty because of “optics.” 

Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25) said the lawsuit shows the continued discrimination woman face and wants an inquiry into the matter to ensure compliance with rules regarding accommodations for breastfeeding law enforcement officers and all women in the workplace.

Set Back for Women

“The First Lady runs on a platform of maternal health, yet denies a state trooper the ability to safely express and store breastmilk while on duty because of ‘optics’?”, stated Dunn. “If this accusation is true, Mrs. Murphy just set us back.”

“My colleagues and I on the Women and Children’s Committee have continued to advance the rights of working mothers. Every mother deserves the right to pump and breastfeed in a sanitary location,” said the Morris County lawmaker. 

Trooper’s Lawsuit

For Dunn, the issue is the continuation of her mother’s advocacy as a member of the La Leche League that advocated to help mothers returning to the workforce through policies like creating lactation rooms and milk banks.

“Working moms should never be subject to discrimination for breastfeeding their child. My mother faced a lot of criticism, but had the courage to carry on because she knew how critical it was to healthy development,” she added.

According to the State Trooper Claire Krauchuk claims in the lawsuit,, she was barred from using a facility at the Murphys’ home to pump breastmilk after returning from maternity leave. The first lady is alleged to have told the woman’s supervisor, who runs the State Police unit that guards the governor’s family, that “it was not encouraged because of optics by guests who may be on the premises.”

Murphy Response

But the Murphy’s have disputed the claims of the lawsuit but cited the litigation as her reason for declining to address the specific allegation.

“Any characterization that the First Lady would not be completely supportive and accommodating of breastfeeding, pumping, or any needs of a new mother in the workplace is outrageous and categorically false,” Tammy Murphy’s spokeswoman Tyler Jones said published report.

And the Governor came to the defense of his wife during News12 New Jersey’s “Ask Governor Murphy” program on May 15, saying that anyone who knows his wife and what she believes in would find the allegation “outrageous” and “completely untrue.”

Dunn: Progress Still Needed

“I know exactly where she stands, what she believes in. I don’t know where we would be right now particularly on infant and maternal health matters in the state of New Jersey without her leadership,” Murphy said. “New Jersey is doing stuff that no other state in America is doing.”

But Dunn said the questions raised by the lawsuit shows no matter how much progress has been made, there is more work still to be done.

“The hardworking moms and women of New Jersey deserve better. New Jersey must do better,” Dunn said. “Breastfeeding workers have rights – we need to make sure they are respected and accommodated.”