The pandemic has put Phil Murphy on TV every day and New Jersey likes what it’s  seeing. A number of polls put the governor’s approval rating at around 70 percent.

It’s easy to forget that six months ago, Murphy was still unknown to many residents, was fighting with fellow Dems in the Legislature and was running an administration that seemed somewhat incompetent.

A bit of the past returned today with an announced settlement of litigation brought by Katie Brennan, who claimed she was raped by Al Alvarez during the governor’s successful, 2017 campaign. Both Brennan and Alvarez subsequently got high-paying jobs in the Murphy Administration.

While this soon may become ancient history, the entire Brennan saga is one the Murphy team probably wishes it could “do-over.”

It wasn’t so much that various law enforcement agencies never charged Alvarez with a crime. That possible injustice was not the fault of the governor’s team.

But the administration’s failings became front andf center during a series of Legislative committee hearings beginning in December, 2018 and running through spring of 2019.

This is almost painful to recall. A series of Murphy officials, including one-time Chief of Staff Pete Cammarano, Transition team head Jose Lozano and Chief Counsel Matt Platkin all testified before the committee. None were very forthcoming about details.

Some of the pertinent questions were, why was Alvarez given a job with the Schools Development Authority when he was accused of rape, why did he stay in that job after he was told to leave and most importantly, who specifically hired him?

In what was either humorous or pathetic depending on your point of view, no one connected with the administration was able to say who hired Alvarez.

Moreover, in what seemed a ridiculous departure from common sense, officials also said they never told the governor about Brennan’s allegation.

In the end, the committee issued a report criticizing the Murphy Administration’s handling of the matter. However, the question of whether Alvarez raped Brennan was never officially answered.

Now the whole thing is over – at least officially.

The settlement is for $1 million with $600,000 going to Brennan and $400,000 to her attorneys. Brennan says she will give her share to a charity that aids sexual abuse victims. Regarding the payout, $800,000 will come from the state and $200,000 from Murphy’s campaign.

As is usual in these situations, no one admits any guilt.

Murphy was asked about the Brennan matter at today’s pandemic briefing.

He mirrored a press release in calling it a “fair and reasonable” settlement. The release also says that going forward the state will reform how it treats sexual abuse victims in the public workplace.

Chopping through the legal and bureaucratic prose, the state pledges to do better next time it encounters one employee charging another with sexual abuse.

It’s hard to see how it could do worse.