TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Assemblyman Hal Wirths today slammed Governor Phil Murphy’s utter contempt of Republicans who are peacefully protesting the Democrat party’s potentially illegal vaccination mandate at the Trenton Statehouse this week.
Murphy today called the Republican protest irresponsible.
“I want to underscore the absolute irresponsibility of those folks who are willfully putting other innocent members and their family’s health at risk,” Murphy said. “It’s entirely irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Wirths responded to Murphy’s comments about Republican lawmakers who refused last week to comply with vaccine and testing mandates to enter the Statehouse.
“What is absolutely outrageous is that the governor doesn’t think this is about freedom or civil rights when he treated the State Police like junkyard dogs protecting the Assembly from Republicans like they are a danger to the property,” said Wirths (R-Sussex). “He ordered the State Police to keep us out of the chambers. They deserve better than that. At least the State Police have respect for the law and individual rights.”
“This is not about freedom or liberty,” the governor said today.
“We are law-abiding citizens who are elected to represent the people of New Jersey and we peacefully represent them,” continued Wirths. “If we don’t need a vaccination card to buy groceries, we don’t need a vaccination card to do our constitutional duty.”
Wirths said despite Governor Murphy promising after his narrow election victory that he needs to “do more” to “reach more kitchen tables”, that the governor actually doesn’t want to work with anyone who disagrees with him.
“He can’t coerce us into how we represent the people who elected us,” concluded Wirths. “He has an utter disregard and contempt for anyone who disagrees with him, and he is unable to see the other side.”