Somerset County Democratic Committee Chair Peg Schaffer retaliated in a statement against her GOP counterpart in the leafy Central Jersey battleground county.

At issue was President Donald J. Trump’s tweetstorm over the decision by some NFL players to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of the treatment of Blacks in this country. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said last year. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”, referencing a series of events that led to the Black Lives Matter movement and adding that he would continue to protest until he feels like “[the American flag] represents what it’s supposed to represent”.^[

Somerset County GOP Chairman Al Gaburo hit back, siding with Trump and prompting Schaffer to retaliate as the two chairs play chess in an attempt to nail down two seats on the freeholder board this year.

“We have the right to protest, that’s what they fought for,” Schaffer said, referring to those WWII veterans cited by Gaburo. “I think Trump’s trying to distract the American people over what a failure he is. I’m thrilled to live in a country that protects people’s right to protest. I wish that instead of tweeting over the NFL Donald Trump would figure out how to rationally deal with the issues. Instead, the backlash that has come from this is that more and more people are standing up for the right to protest.

“I may not agree with Colin Kaepernick but I will fight to the death to protect his freedom of speech,” the Somerset chair added. “My father served in the military and my uncle fought in the war too – for the freedom of speech.”