Frelinghuysen Letter Highlights GOP Collusion With Business To Suppress Democratic Rights

The intellectual and ethical challenges epitomized by Donald Trump are actually more reflective of similar rot at the core of the Republican party, which has virtually abandoned any policy position other than tax cuts, in pursuit of raw political power in order to service its overlords among business and the super-rich.

Rodney Frelinghuysen is a vulnerable House Republican who is head of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. In the aftermath of Trump’s election, a true grass roots group call NJ 11th for Change began to pressure Frelinghuysen to at least hold a town hall, something he had not done in four years. Frelinghuysen ignored them. In response, the group started holding town halls without Frelinghuysen’s participation and constantly protesting outside his office.

With the introduction of the original version of the AHCA, the group increased the pressure on Frelinghuysen and he eventually came out against the bill, a pretty shocking move by a member of the House leadership, that signaled the bill was sunk. But, apparently that was just posturing, because Frelinghuysen did eventually vote the modified AHCA that is actually worse than the original and passed the House. Frelinghuysen was rumored to have his chairmanship pulled unless he voted for the bill.

All this strengthened NJ 11th for Change even further and Frelinghuysen eventually held two telephone town halls but has still refused to actually face his constituents. But that doesn’t stop him from complaining about his constituents and NJ 11th for Change in particular, saying, “For people who have jammed our lines and made it difficult for us to meet our constituent needs, it would be nice for you to back off. I’m not suggesting people don’t have a right to speak and let their views be known, but some of this is highly orchestrated and it’s unfortunate.” Of course, they probably wouldn’t be jamming his phone lines if he actually had the courage to face his constituents in a forum where the could make their views known.

But Frelinghuysen has actually gone further in trying to stifle NJ 11th for Change from expressing their democratic rights. In a fundraising letter to the chairman of a local bank in his district, Frelinguysen wrote, “But let’s be clear that there are organized forces — both national and local — who are already hard at work to put a stop to an agenda of limited government, economic growth, stronger national security”. By the word “local”, Frelinghuysen put a handwritten asterisk that was referenced at the bottom of the letter with additional handwritten note saying, “P.S. One of the ringleaders works in your bank!” And Frelinghuysen attached a news article that quoted a member of NJ 11th for Change.

The “ringleader” Frelinghuysen was referencing was Saily Avelenda who was a Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at the bank. Avelenda was subsequently called in by her superiors and asked to “explain” herself. Eventually she felt pressured enough that she resigned from the bank.

It is hard to overstate how egregious Frelinghuysen’s actions are. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee whose decisions effect virtually all aspects of the US economy, he writes a fundraising letter where he specifically targets an employee of the company he is soliciting money from as an opponent, and that employee feels threatened enough by her employers that she resigns.

In many ways, Frelinghuysen’s actions are similar to the state of North Dakota conspiring with Energy Transfer Partners, the builders of the Dakota Access Pipeline, to quash protests against DAPL. This highly unethical, if not illegal, behavior is utterly consistent with a Republican party that colludes with powerful business interests to prohibit their opponents from exercising their democratic rights.