NJ Dem Accused of 'Psychological Abuse' of Staffers – 22 Former Employees Share Horror Stories
State Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy’s former staffers say she ran a workplace of screaming, personal errands, and retaliation.
The New Jersey Globe interviewed those 22 former staffers of McCoy and reviewed emails, texts, notes, and a 47-minute body-camera recording from a Hamilton Township officer who answered a 911 call from a frightened employee inside McCoy’s legislative office.
The complaints go back to 2024, the year McCoy took office.
The Office of Legislative Services and the Department of Labor are currently reviewing the evidence. The Globe noted some of the issues raised, including claims that McCoy ran expenses through nonprofits, have been referred to the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.
McCoy denied every charge and blamed “disgruntled former employees” for the accusations.
“I lead this office with the highest professional and ethical standards,” she said. “My office is fully cooperating with the review underway through the Office of Legislative Services and the Assembly Majority Office.”
Staff described a revolving door of employees. McCoy has had six or seven chiefs of staff since January 2024, depending on how the titles are counted, and her current staff is mostly new.
One former aide said she “screams on the phone, ridicules people and causes them to break down.” Another said McCoy used interns to raise money and would “berate people for hours.” A third said McCoy told staff who objected to personal errands, “This is something you need to get used to.”
NJ Democrats are on a roll in a bad way, Tennille McCoy’s office: where “public service” apparently means screaming at staff, using interns as personal Ubers, and treating nonprofits like your own wallet
Six or seven chiefs of staff in under two years, body-cam footage from a 911 call, and ethics referrals. But sure, it’s just “disgruntled former employees
https://t.co/N6b8Mg9OtB— Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) October 12, 2026
Former workers accused the assemblywoman of forcing them to drive her to events that were not legislative, including campaign stops, and that interns were treated like free rides.
One intern even claimed McCoy pressured them to drive an hour in a personal car, more than once, and then told other paid interns their program stipends would cover her gas costs.
Staff said she threatened to dock pay, that reimbursements were slow, and that some interns were paid less than she offered once payroll finally went through.
Another aide claimed McCoy took a staffer’s phone to search it without permission. Yet another said interns were afraid of her, lost sleep, and that “as an HR executive, she knew every rule she broke.”
NJ Democrat accused of widespread WORKPLACE ABUSE
Tennille McCoy, a Democrat NJ Assemblywoman, has been accused by 22 former staff members of extreme workplace abuse and mistreatment, per the New Jersey Globe.
Former staff claim McCoy verbally berated them, forced them to run personal errands, withheld pay, and funneled money through non-profits for lavish events.
She has now been referred to the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards for an investigation into her spending.
McCoy has denied all allegations, saying they come from “disgruntled former employees.”
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 13, 2026
A staffer wrote to McCoy challenging an unpaid suspension imposed without warning, calling the conditions hostile and intimidating. McCoy’s reply, in an email the Globe obtained, was to say the suspension stayed in the personnel file and that she had made the final decision.
The staffer also complained to the attorney general’s office about the mix of official work with campaign, personal, and fundraising activity, and said there was no response.
The accusations involving improper use of funds were the sharpest. One former staffer said, “Her legislative office, her non-profits, and her personal life had a single wallet.” The Globe reported that McCoy solicited and received a $5,000 donation from Netflix for an August forum on Martha’s Vineyard about filming in New Jersey, and that summer interns made the asks.
Invoices showed the money moving through the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, which then paid other expenses.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority helped fund McCoy’s August Martha’s Vineyard forum on filming in New Jersey. Separately, staff and an intern solicited $500 to $25,000 from a local bank for a Black History Month event; because banks cannot engage in political activity, the money was routed to a nonprofit.
Additionally, McCoy ordered ten trophies with her name on them, billed to the nonprofit. She used state email to solicit, her name was on the signs, and she spent $1,321 on “swag bags” with her name.
Aides said nonprofits paid for gift cards with no accounting, and that event money covered photographers and a makeup artist.
Explosive report from the New Jersey Globe about Democrat Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy ⬇️
— Matt Fazelpoor (@MattyFazNJ) October 12, 2026
McCoy claims she checked with the Assembly Majority Office of Ethics and that the events followed the rules.
Not every former worker criticized her. One intern’s mother said her child had a great experience working for the assemblywoman. Another staffer called the five month internship “pleasant” and said she never heard McCoy yell.
McCoy herself called the internship program “flawless.”
She is a Democrat from Hamilton in the 14th District, which covers parts of Mercer and Middlesex counties.
The legislative roster lists her as Deputy Conference Leader, chair of the Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee, and a member of Appropriations and Health Infrastructure.
McCoy first took office in January 2024. She holds degrees from Virginia State, Rutgers, and a joint MBA program with NYU Stern, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris, and she previously worked as an assistant commissioner at the Department of Labor and as a human-resources executive, according to her official biography and Ballotpedia.
The Globe said 24 people spoke on condition of anonymity, most citing fear of retaliation. The reviews by legislative services and the ethics committee are still open and McCoy has not been charged with a crime.
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