Part 1: Political Collusion by Candidates Created Tote-Bag Controversy

     This is the first part of a series of posts that will outline the collusion between parties involved  

     On July 29, 2021, Tote Bag-gate was born, and the facts point to Westfield 3rd ward town council candidate council Shawn Mullen as the instigator, among others……read on  

SHAWN MULLEN

     On July 29, 2021,  New Jersey Globe owner/publisher David Wildstein, published a story titled, "GOP challenger slams Westfield mayor on tote bag purchases."  See link below for Wildstein story.

https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/gop-challenger-slams-westfield-mayor-on-tote-bag-purchases/ 

     David Wildstein pleaded guilty in federal district court in Newark, NJ, to two felony counts of conspiracy.  One count was conspiracy to misapply property of the Port Authority and one count of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Fort Lee residents in the 2013 lane closings leading to the GW Bridge, now known as Bridgegate.  

     David Wildstein was Gov. Chris Christie's appointment to the NJ/NY Port Authority and a known Republican strategist with ties to Harrison Neely, Jon Bramnick, and the Westfield Republican party, backing JoAnn Neylan for mayor in this years local election.

     Running on the Westfield Republican slate this year is Ward 3 resident Shawn Mullen.  Mullen is seeking to serve alongside Republican 3rd Ward Town Councilman Mark LoGrippo.

     On June 16, 2021, Shawn Mullen submitted an OPRA (Open Public Records Act) request seeking information regarding the Downtown Westfield Corporation (DWC) and Covid relief funds obtained by the DWC.  The DWC used Covid relief funds to purchase tote-bags.   

     Every week Westfield mayoral candidate JoAnn Neylan's campaign creates controversy.  Subsequently, and inevitably, we learn that the information coming from the campaign and her supporters is misinformation and many times, blatant lies.

     Enter "Tote-bag Gate"....for those following along, a former Westfield business owner and resident wrote a scathing mis-informational Facebook post, falsely attacking small business owners and several individuals, and included specific pictures and documents that could only be obtained from the DWC. 

     NOTE: The Fact of Matter has removed the now infamous "Rory Chadwick Facebook post" due to the severity of the libelous accusations levied by Mr. Chadwick, where a small business owner, local politicians, and children were maligned.  

     Posted below is a screenshot of the beginning of the post that resulted in "Cease & Desist" orders sent to Rory Chadwick, and allegedly to Westfield town council candidate Denise Garrett (she promoted and shared the original post,) and to Facebook group Residents of Westfield administrator Valerio Bruscianelli.  

     Here is a screenshot of the first part of the Facebook post that has stirred controversy.

One day later, after receiving a Cease & Desist letter from an attorney, Rory Chadwick not only retracted his libelous accusations and apologized to everyone he had slandered, but he also revealed that he was groomed to write the now infamous Facebook post revealing that he was used in order to promote false and defamatory accusations constituting libel.  All so that he could, "Hold their bag of dung."

     On everyone's mind is how did he get that information and who groomed and tutored him to do this.

     Today, The Fact of The Matter received an answer to an OPRA request we filed seeking all requests made by applicants that sought information on the DWC's use of Covid relief funds.  Rory Chadwick's name does not appear on any of the documents received, or in the listing of names of people that filed OPRA requests seeking the DWC information, prior to the infamous David Wildstein story in the NJ Globe on July 29, 2021.

     However, there was one person who did request and did receive the information regarding the DWC's use of Covid relief funds prior to Wildstein's story.  That person is none other than Westfield's 3rd ward town council candidate, Shawn Mullen.

     

     Included in the 61 page OPRA response from Westfield that was given to Shawn Mullen on June 25, 2021, were the exact pictures and information used by Rory Chadwick in his false and libelous Facebook diatribe that was later retracted with a detailed apology. (See above apology)

     Furthermore, that same information was used by JoAnn Neylan in her town wide text, against FCC regulations, where she lied and said Mayor Brindle misused Covid relief funds.  The text came out just hours after David Wildstein's story which was also featured and shared on Facebook by NJ GOP Communications director Harrison Neely on the Westfield NJ Facebook group.  The Wildstein story was also shared by every Westfield GOP town council candidate and Councilman Mark LoGrippo.

To recap, 

*June 25, 2021 Westfield 3rd ward town council candidate Shawn Mullen, receives an answer to his OPRA request seeking information regarding the DWC and their allocation of Covid relief funds.

*"Tote-BagGate" is born.

*David Wildstein, former NJ GOP attack dog, convicted felon and a conspirator of the infamous Bridgegate, turned state political reporter/owner of the New Jersey Globe, somehow obtains information about the small town of Westfield and pens a piece titled "GOP challenger slams Westfield mayor on tote bag purchases." 

*Westfield town councilman Mark LoGrippo and NJ GOP/communications director Harrison Neely share Wildstein's NJ Globe story on Facebook.

*Westfield GOP mayoral candidate JoAnn Neylan shared the Wildstein story on her Facebook campaign page and sends out a town wide text in violation of FCC regulations, that is filled with false information and refers to Wildstein's story.

*All other Westfield GOP candidates for town council share that same story on their Facebook campaign pages shortly thereafter.

*Former Westfield small business owner Rory Chadwick releases the scathing, libelous, false attack piece on children, small business owners, the mayor, and select sitting town council members using information received from Westfield 3rd ward town council candidate Shawn Mullin's OPRA request. 

*Rory Chadwick writes a retraction stating he was groomed and coached by an individual, and fed false information to facilitate the writing of lies and promote a false narrative that was defamatory to all those he attacked in his Facebook post.

     Now, we know who sought, received, and disseminated the information used to create the infamous "Tot-BagGate" conspiracy.  That person is none other than Westfield 3rd ward town council candidate Shawn Mullin.

     So now, you all know how the Tote-BagGate conspiracy was born.  

Up next...........Part 2

     Who did break into the DWC storage container located at the Westfield conservation center on Lambertsmill Rd.  Who’s responsible for opening sealed boxes, removing a tote bag from the box, displaying it, and took their time to take the perfect photograph shown in David Wildstein's New Jersey Globe story?

Stay tuned..............