U.S. Senate Nominee Rik Mehta Slams NJ Attorney General’s Office for Interfering with Political Fundraising at Atilis Gym, Threatens Lawsuit

For immediate release

Bellmawr, New Jersey –On Friday, according to LAW360.com, Deputy Attorney General Stephen Slocum took to Twitter and Instagram to discredit the Mehta campaign, damaging the fundraising and volunteering efforts being held at Atilis gym.

Mehta said “since we launched Atilis gym as a political venue we have had hundreds of political volunteers recruited, campaign materials distributed and available for pickup, political rallies held, and the owners of Atilis Gym, Frank Trombetti and Ian Smith have joined the campaign as finance committee members, helping the campaign raise money.”

Mehta continued “the use of the Attorney General, a Democrat appointee, to enforce a political agenda that stifles Republican fundraising efforts is beyond the pale”. Last week, Governor Murphy held a fundraiser for Democrat Presidential Nominee Joe Biden that brought in millions of dollars.

Millions of people across New Jersey and around the nation have witnessed the courage of Rik Mehta and the owners of Atilis gym in Bellmawr when they stood up for all of the small businesses decimated by Governor Murphy’s unscientific decision-making on the COVID response. Now the Governor is seemingly using the office of the Attorney General to stifle my campaign’s ability to raise money in my race against his political crony, Cory Booker. Mehta stated that “we all remember the sweetheart deal Murphy gave Booker back in 2019, allowing Booker to keep his Senate seat while he ran a failed Presidential race and missed 65% of the votes in the Senate.” This is another calculated attack on my campaign benefitting Cory Booker and an egregious attempt to interfere with a U.S. Senate election.

Mehta ended “We have signed up hundreds of volunteers who are protesting Governor Murphy’s overreach and this is just another unlawful attempt by the Murphy administration to compromise those that don’t blindly follow his unscientific edicts.”

The Mehta campaign is contemplating a lawsuit against the Murphy Administration to enjoin the unsubstantiated attack on an active U.S. Senate campaign.