In a recent TV commercial, Josh Gottheimer’s campaign for Congress used an image of Republican candidate, Frank Pallotta standing with a supporter (face blurred), to showcase how Pallotta “refuses to wear masks.” However, the image was taken in 2019, almost a year before the first case of COVID-19 was contracted in the U.S.

The man standing next to Frank Pallotta is Chairman of the NJGOP Chairman’s Association, Jose Arango, a long-time supporter of the Pallotta for Congress campaign. In response to the TV commercial, Chairman Arango released the following statement:

“COVID-19 regulations were nonexistent when this photo was taken back in 2019. Josh Gottheimer, a sitting Congressman, is using this picture to engage in sleazy, dishonest tactics and play politics with COVID-19. ‘Dishonesty and Deception’ has been the slogan of the Gottheimer for Congress campaign since the very beginning. Every single one of his attacks towards Frank Pallotta has been a complete lie, and I call on Josh Gottheimer to apologize to his district for the misinformation he is spreading in this commercial about Frank Pallotta and myself.”

“Frank Pallotta is not anti-mask. He is pro-business, pro-police, and pro-middle class. Most importantly, Pallotta does not use global pandemics to advance his own political agenda.”