In case you missed it, House Appropriations Committee chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen tried to bully one of his staunchest critics in his northern New Jersey district, Saily Avelenda, into keeping quiet. After finding out that one of his major donors was on the board of the bank where Avelenda worked, he wrote a letter to that member warning him that Avelenda was “one of the ringleaders” opposing the GOP agenda. The ensuing pressure forced Avelenda to resign.
Avelenda is a member of the steering committee of NJ 11th for Change, a bipartisan group working to get Frelinghuysen to hold an in-person town hall—something he hasn’t done in over four years. Yesterday, they let it be known that they aren’t giving in to this ham-handed attempt to bully one of their colleagues into silence.
Since February, NJ 11th for Change members have encouraged residents to drop by Frelinghuysen’s office every morning—an event called, appropriately enough, “Fridays With Frelinghuysen.” They break into small groups who then go to his office in Morristown to ask his staffers questions based on the past week’s events.
At this Friday’s gathering, several of the participants sported custom-made buttons saying, “I Am A Ringleader.”
The hashtags “#Ringleader,” “#IAmARingleader,” and “#WeAreAllRingleaders” have since popped up on social media accounts of people living in this wealthy swath of exurbs west of New York City.
Here are some more pictures from the rally.
Oh, this is lovely.
The major paper in NJ-11, the (Morristown) Daily Record, reported that Avelenda was also on hand. She doesn’t want the story to be about her as much as what Frelinghuysen did to her.
Also on hand was the most credible Democrat so far running against him, Mikie Sherrill. For the first time in more than three decades, this classic suburban Republican district is potentially in play. The Cook Political Report recently downgraded the race to “Lean Republican”—one step from “Toss-Up.” Addittionally, Trump only won this district 49-48.
This should be a nationwide battle cry. If merely speaking out makes me a “ringleader,” where do I sign up?
There’s another reason this should be a nationwide cause. One of Avelenda’s colleagues, Marion Jacobson, asked a question that no one in any democracy should even have to ask.
“We’re here to rally by her side and support her as friends, but we’re also here to let Rodney Frelinghuysen know he has overstepped,” Jacobson said. “Who is next? What other NJ 11th members has he Googled to see where they work? Why hasn’t he apologized yet? He’s hiding behind a wall of silence to protect himself from accusations of being unethical.”
It cannot be repeated enough—no one should ever have to fear that their government will retaliate against them for speaking out. If Frelinghuysen even thought this was acceptable, it’s time for him to go—before November 2018. Sign this petition telling him to resign.