Elizabeth Warren Condemns Forcible Removal of Sue Altman
Elizabeth Warren, 2020 candidate for the Democatic nomination for president, had something to say about the state police’s removal of Working Families Alliance Executive Director Sue Altman.
“The forceful removal of @NJWFA State Director @SueAltman from a public hearing is outrageous. I stand with her and @WorkingFamilies.”
That was Warren this evening on Twitter.
At today’s select commitee hearing on the use of Economic Development Authority (EDA) tax incentives, state troopers removed Working Families Alliance State Director Altman shortly before the testimony of South Jersey Power Broker George Norcross, whose bsuiness network benefited from the incentives.
“I want that entire back line of people removed,” Select Committee Chairman Bob Smith (D-17) told state police.
The troopers proceeded to escort people in that area from the meeting room. When police attempted to get Altman – who was not against the back wall – to leave, she refused to go and moments later, they physically removed her through a side door. Attoney General Gurbir Grewal said subsequently that his office plans to investigate the cops’ forced removal of Altman from the hearing.
Although maybe not surpising given the fact that the national Working Families Party earlier this fall backed her for prez, Warren’s drop down into New Jerseynonetheless offered a glimpse at some curious progressive political synergies.
Altman’s predecessor, Analilia Mejia, left Working Families to serve as the political director of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign.
Through the course of this early primary season, Warren and Sanders have battled for the progressive lane of the party, routinely polling in the top three or four in a big presidential field, their mutual commitment in some polls, often trading for the top position, enabling moderates in the party to keep kindled the hope that a centrist can prevail.
The New Jersey political establishment on both sides of today’s hearing – Smith and Norcross, and Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) – who gave Smith a thumbs up for his handling of the event – backs the presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who continues to lag in the polls.
Also in the Trenton hearing room today and expressing his own outrage was Jim Keady, a 2020 candidate for Congress who is firmly in the Sanders for Prez camp.
I am not surprised of this directive of intimidation by State Legislators. This has happened to me and fellow supporters advocating for the passages of bills not presented on the agenda. I submitted a two page report to the governor’s office 4 months ago with specific details of ill treatment by State Troopers ordered by legislators to have participants physically removed. I have never received a response, not even a courtesy call to make sure I felt safe coming back, which I had indicated that some other advocates never want to return to the State House due to this poor treatment.
But i guess if I were a supporter of national candidate, maybe I would have gotten this type of support but I am a lowly unpaid community advocate, so i have to learn to work around this abuse of power by the DNC legislators and their operatives.
All this talk about Warren and Saunders and ‘progressives’ — how about focusing on the REAL question. Someone who was not making noise was the first person removed from the room because she would speak in opposition. Does this body make a habit of silencing its rivals?? How is this democracy??