Today, 70 civic leaders representing good government organizations, labor unions, and grassroots activist groups from across New Jersey called on Governor Murphy and state lawmakers to reject politically motivated attacks against Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
In an open letter, the broad coalition condemned recent efforts to undermine the Attorney General as an assault on the rule of law, comparing these tactics to those used by the Trump administration to obstruct investigations against himself and his allies.
“Recent attempts to undermine the Office of the Attorney General represent a dangerous assault on the principle that no one — regardless of political power or connections — should be above the law. They are a page straight out of the Trump playbook, where if you don't like what a prosecutor is investigating, you try to remove them from office,” the letter states.
The letter highlights how these attacks are transparent attempts to retaliate against the Attorney General for holding those in power accountable, from taking on Elon Musk and the Trump administration to challenging George Norcross and his associates.
“Republican leaders in the Assembly have never cared about power brokers using Camden as currency, the people of Paterson being terrorized by police, or survivors of sexual assault,” said Antoinette Miles, State Director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. “Now, they’re shamelessly exploiting these issues to score cheap political points and undermine efforts to hold powerful people accountable.”
“The people of New Jersey rely on the independence of the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that no one – regardless of political power – is above the law. Attempts to impeach AG Platkin for exercising his authority as the state's chief law enforcement officer set a dangerous precedent, and will only further politicize the Office and foster increased distrust of our institutions,” said Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ. “The OAG has been granted broad authority by the Legislature to investigate police practices and misconduct, supersede police departments, and address discrimination and violations of civil rights. Attempts to undermine this authority should be seen as attempts to undermine prosecutorial independence.”
“No one should be retaliated against for standing up to a boss, whether it’s a corporate executive or political power broker,” said Todd Wolfson, President of Rutgers AAUP-AFT. “Any effort to punish the Attorney General for doing his job is a direct attack on the rule of law and a warning to anyone who dares to challenge the status quo. We won’t stand for it."
"The people of New Jersey are tired of backroom deals that benefit political insiders at our expense,” said Amy Higer, SOMA Action, Trustee and Democracy Action Committee Co-Chair. “The Attorney General’s willingness to challenge corruption should be applauded, not punished. Interfering with the Attorney General’s work sends a troubling message that if you have enough influence, the rules don’t apply to you."
"These attacks on the Attorney General aren't about justice. They’re about insulating political insiders and special interests from scrutiny," said Dena Mottola Jaborska, Executive Director of New Jersey Citizen Action. “We need New Jersey’s elected leaders to stand firm against these threats to our democratic system."
“I've been around New Jersey politics for more than 40 years. We have never had an Attorney General who has exhibited greater courage and integrity than Matt Platkin. We have also never had anyone try to impeach an Attorney General before. I think those things are related,” said Hetty Rosenstein, leader of The New Jersey Resistance.
