By now, we’ve heard a lot of stories about how Republican lawmakers are running scared in the face of furious opposition from constituents who believe they are enabling Donald Trump’s agenda. Some of them are reacting in ways that reveal just how thin-skinned they are. One congressman had protesters committed to mental institutions, and another swore off town halls altogether because he didn’t like how “the women in are in my grill” about the GOP push to repeal Obamacare.
But one of the worst reactions yet comes from the new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He tried to put the squeeze on a leading member of an activist group in his New Jersey district by whining to her employer about her.
Rodney Frelinghuysen represents New Jersey’s 11th District, a large swath of wealthy exurbs west of New York City. With the start of the new Congress, he became chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He is the first New Jerseyan to chair the committee that writes the laws that fund the government, making him arguably the most powerful man in the House outside of the House Republican leadership.
However, according to WNYC, the flagship NPR member in New York City, Frelinghuysen may be facing more pressure back home than he ever has since winning the seat in 1994. Soon after the election, several residents in the 11th formed NJ 11th For Change, which has worked to get Frelinghuysen to hold an in-person town hall, rather than the telephone town halls he prefers.
WNYC’s Nancy Johnson was researching a feature on activism in New Jersey when she attended a meeting of NJ 11th For Change’s steering committee in Monclair, part of which was drawn into Frelinghuysen’s district in the last census. However, she got a lot more material than she expected. Listen here.
One of the steering committee members, Saily Avelenda, showed Johnson a letter that Frelinghuysen had written to Joseph O’Dowd, a board member at her former employer, Lakeland Bank. At the time, Avelenda was a vice president and assistant general counsel at the bank. Frelinghuysen wrote the letter on the stationery of his campaign committee to warn about “organized forces–both national and local” who were working overtime to derail the Republican agenda of limited government, economic growth, (and) stronger national security.”
Frelinghuysen placed an asterisk above “local” and scrawled at the bottom of the letter:
“P.S. One of the ringleaders works in your bank!”
According to the (Morristown) Daily Record, Frelinghuysen enclosed an article from Politico quoting Avelenda.
O’Dowd, who has donated at least $1,350 to Frelinghuysen over the last decade, showed the letter to Avelenda’s boss, who told her that Frelinghuysen was a “friend” of the bank and counseled her not to mention Lakeland’s name in her activism. Avelenda told WNYC that she also had to write a statement to Lakeland’s CEO–a situation that was “not something that I expected.”
Avelenda ultimately resigned due in part to the scrutiny. She told the Daily Record that she believes Frelinghuysen’s decision to call her out was “a very deliberate act.” Indeed, it would have taken considerable effort for him to track down where she worked. She told WNYC that Frelinghuysen put both herself and Lakeland in a rather awkward position, and “used his name, used his position, and used his stationery to punish me.”
As ugly, nakedly aggressive, and childish as Frelinghuysen’s move is, there’s a chance that it may not be illegal. According to a former staffer for the Office of Congressional Ethics, Frelinghuysen covered himself by writing that letter on campaign stationery, not congressional stationery. The only other way he could get in legal trouble for this letter would be if Lakeland had business before the Appropriations Committee. However, according to Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, it’s still “troubling” because Frelinghuysen used the power of his office to “threaten someone’s employment because of their political activities.”
While there is some question about whether this letter is legal, there is no doubt that it is unacceptable. NJ 11th for Change rushed out with a burning statement condemning Frelinghuysen’s “disturbing and alarming” decision to “punish an opposing view.” Frelinghuysen has also taken a well-deserved beating on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/exit25gsp/status/864218152477052929
https://twitter.com/loudlylauren/status/864164062095179776
#We know about the letter that .@USRepRodney wrote to the bank that employed #SallyAvelenda. She resigned. Happy, Sir? Voting you OUT.
— Up the Rebels! (@rebel_things) May 15, 2017
Why did you write that letter regarding Sally Avelenda to her employer at the bank?
— Maria? (@BeBraveAndTrue) May 15, 2017
@USRepRodney This is unethical & u you know it. Trump is incompetent & untruthful. You know that too. #countrybeforeparty #nj11thforchange
— look for truth (@searchoftruth16) May 16, 2017
@USRepRodney your conduct is despicable. You are accountable to your constituents, and must face the consequences of your choices. https://t.co/5DRBKADFw5
— Rogue G D❄️️ (@GypsyDennis) May 16, 2017
There’s actually a chance that Frelinghuysen may actually have to pay the ultimate political price for this–with the loss of his job. The 11th has historically been one of the most Republican districts in the Northeast. However, in 2016, Trump only carried it 49-48–the closest that a Democrat has come to winning this district since it was radically redrawn in a 1984 court-ordered redistricting. There is already a very credible Democrat in the race, former federal prosecutor and Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill. Send her some love here.
But we don’t have to wait until next November to hold Frelinghuysen accountable for this pigweed. If he has anything at all in him, he will apologize to Avelenda. And if he isn’t willing to do so, he must resign. There is no place for this sort of childish behavior in Congress–regardless of party.
(featured image courtesy Frelinghuysen’s office, part of public domain)
