Garrett Informs N.J. Attorney General, U.S. Attorney Of Fake Letter

Congressman Scott Garrett has formally notified New Jersey Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney's Office of a letter the seven-term congressman said was issued "in a desperate attempt to mislead the public."

Garrett earlier this week called out Democrat Josh Gottheimer's campaign for allegedly creating a fake letter stating that Garrett is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics for taking bribes. Garrett said at a press conference Thursday that the letter is fake and demanded Gottheimer apologize to 5th District residents.

RELATED: Garrett Denies Taking Bribes, Demands Advertisement Containing 'Fictitious' Letter Stop Airing

Letters from Shalom D. Stone of the law firm Brown, Moskowitz, and Kallen of Summit to Attorney General Christopher Porrino and U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman stated that Gottheimer's campaign "deliberately and fraudulently altered the original letter in order to mislead the public and press to falsely believe that the letter had come from the Office of Congressional Ethics," a violation of state and federal laws.

The letter stated that Garrett is under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) for taking bribes. It appeared in advertisements that aired on several local television stations and on at least two area billboards. Garrett sent cease and desist letters to local television stations, which his campaign said stopped airing the ad.

“That document does not exist,” Garrett said. “There is no such document. Josh falsified it. I have never received a letter from the [OCE].”

Campaign for Accountability, a non-partisan political watchdog group, sent a letter to the OCE asking it to investigate Garrett and 10 other members of Congress for allegedly accepting bribes.

The race between the seven-term incumbent Garrett and Gottheimer, a former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, of Wyckoff has become increasingly vitriolic, with the candidates each calling the other a liar and their campaigns calling each other out regarding election materials.

RELATED: Gottheimer's Campaign Calls On Garrett's To Condemn Distribution Of Anti-Semitic Fliers

Gottheimer's campaign also called out Garrett's camp Thursday in response to fliers that depict the Wyckoff father as a devil who is owned by 'big media.' Garrett’s campaign spoke out against the fliers and the imagery on them.

A nonpartisan political analysis agency has reclassified the 5th Congressional District race as tilting Democrat, a change from the "pure toss-up" rating it gave the race last month.

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Rep. Scott Garrett and Josh Gottheimer — Wikimedia Commons and Josh4Congress