GOP wants to oust NJ attorney general for headline-hunting ‘lawfare’

🚨 Attorney General Matt Platkin faces impeachment articles

🚨 Accused of targeting law enforcement for political reasons

🚨 Any impeachment effort would need support from Democrats

TRENTON — Republicans in the state Legislature say they're sick of Attorney General Matt Platkin's attempts to "capture headlines" instead of criminals and have introduced articles of impeachment against him.

On Thursday, minority leaders in the General Assembly said Platkin, who was appointed by Gov. Murphy in 2022, weaponized his position against New Jersey State Police and political opponents.

“Governor Murphy’s AG has been pursuing high-profile cases to capture headlines, not criminals. It is evident his investigations lack merit by the number of charges that are ultimately dismissed by the courts,” Assembly Republican Deputy Leader Antwan McClellan, R-Cape May, said.

Republicans said Platkin engages in lawfare, "the use of legal systems to damage and delegitimize an opponent."

Platkin issued a statement on Thursday.

"I am not going to respond to partisan political attacks," Platkin said. "I am focused on the same priorities I have had since day one: driving gun violence down to historically low levels, holding social media corporations accountable for the harms they’re inflicting on our children, and protecting our residents — including by standing up to threats from Washington and fighting corruption, no matter who it offends."

Platkin cases dismissed against Norcross

The articles of impeachment come one day after a New Jersey state judge issued a stunning ruling in one of the most high-profile cases of Platkin's career.

On Wednesday, racketeering charges against Democratic powerbroker George Norcross, his brother, and four others were dismissed by a superior court judge.

When Platkin announced the indictment last year, defense lawyer Michael Critchley accused the attorney general of having a “vendetta” against Norcross.

In other examples of high profile cases:

🔴 Platkin's office recently joined two lawsuits against the Trump administration, including Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship and an initiative to offer buyouts to federal workers;

🔴 The OAG has sued gun manufacturer Glock for its handgun designs;

🔴 Platkin's office joined a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, saying the social media sites targeted children

ALSO SEE: Murphy's huge budget has $1.2B for NJ roads in bad shape

Calls for Platkin to resign

On Wednesday, Platkin faced a call to resign from Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, a fellow Democrat.

“Incompetence comes at a cost. It’s the taxpayers of New Jersey who have to foot the bill,” Sayegh said to Politico's Matt Friedman.

Tensions between Sayegh and Platkin have been high since the state takeover of the Paterson Police Department.

This past December, an appellate court ruled Platkin's forceful takeover was illegal in another loss for the Attorney General's Office. The decision was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Impeachment effort against Platkin requires Democrat support

Republicans alone are not enough to remove Platkin from office.

The first hurdle is that impeachment requires a majority in the General Assembly, where Democrats hold 52 of the body's 80 seats.

If all 28 Republicans in the assembly voted to impeach Platkin, they would still need support from 13 Democrats.

It's unlikely, but not totally out of the realm of possibility.

In the other legislative body, state Sen. Joe Cryan, D-Union, is a frequent critic of Platkin, Politico reports.

Most recently, Cryan said the Norcross dismissal was “the latest embarrassing black eye for the [Attorney General’s] Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.”

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