New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli announced he would file a lawsuit against Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), his opponent in the upcoming election, for comments she made about him during Wednesday’s gubernatorial debate.
Sherrill claimed during the debate, without evidence, that Ciattarelli was responsible for the deaths of thousands of adults and children while profiting off the nation’s opioid crisis.
“You’re trying to divert from the fact you killed tens of thousands of people by printing your misinformation, your propaganda,” Sherrill asserted.
Ciattarelli denied the claim and vowed to file a defamation lawsuit.
“Shame on you,” Ciattarelli said to Sherrill.
On Thursday, Ciattarelli campaign strategist Chris Russell said the campaign would proceed with the defamation lawsuit.
“Last night, faced with continued questions about her refusal to release disciplinary records that would reveal her true role in the Naval Academy cheating scandal, and pressed about her unusually abbreviated tenure as a federal prosecutor, Mikie Sherrill cracked,” said Russell.
“In doing so, she claimed, twice, that Jack Ciattarelli ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children’, a clearly defamatory attack that shocked the moderators, press, and public alike,” he added.
Ciattarelli’s campaign said the lawsuit would be filed early next week.
Meanwhile, Sherrill’s campaign rebuked claims of the aforementioned federal lawsuit. They accused Jack Ciattarelli of not taking responsibility for his failed actions, which left many people in critical danger.
“What’s reckless and irresponsible is Jack Ciattarelli making millions of dollars profiting off the pain of New Jerseyans,” said Sean Higgins, spokesman for the Sherrill campaign. “As he was making millions, the Big Pharma companies made billions, and tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died. He is clearly unfit to lead and protect this state, and owes the people of New Jersey answers.”
Ciattarelli’s campaign again rejected the accusations. In response, they labeled the Sherill campaign’s rhetoric dangerous, given the climate of the nation’s political discourse. They slammed her words and accusations as inappropriate, in addition to not being true.
“In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line,” Russell said.