SOMERVILLE, NJ – A blistering article in today’s edition of the Star-Ledger accuses New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli of making a small fortune publishing books for America’s Big Pharma industry during the height of America’s opioid pandemic.
Throughout Ciattarelli’s campaigns for governor in 2017 and 2021, he branded himself as a successful Main Street business owner working the trenches of the middle class, but the article points out to Ciattarelli that maybe Ciattarelli isn’t who he claims to be.
“Ciattarelli made his millions running seminars and publishing journal articles that he and big pharma used to mislead doctors and pharmacists about the addictive nature of the drugs,” the report claims. “The candidate, though, has not said much about his own business, other than to note that he always met his payroll and hired fellow New Jerseyans, while repeatedly describing his endeavors in interviews as ‘Main Street businesses.”
During the height of the pandemic, the Star-Ledger estimated Ciattarelli earned $12.2 million in publishing contracts for the opioid industry. In that same period, 10,000 New Jerseyans died from opioid overdoses.
Phil Murphy’s campaign today sent out an email highlighting the story, but declined to comment on the article.
Shore News Network reached out to Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign and did not receive a reply. On Thursday, Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign banned Shore News Network from his campaign Facebook page.