New York budget likely to be late again as disputes continue
New York lawmakers are expected to miss the state’s budget deadline as negotiations over housing and education funding remain ongoing, a top official said Wednesday. The due date for adopting a new state budget is April 1, but legislators are set to give themselves a extension early next week that will keep government functioning while talks continue, Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters. “We’re at the middle of the middle,” Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said at a news conference in Albany. NEW YORK DEMS SET FOR CLASHES WITH HOCHUL AS LAWMAKERS UNVEIL BUDGET PLANS Budget negotiations — conducted in private between the Democrat leaders of the Senate and Assembly and Gov. Kathy Hochul — were expected to drag out beyond the deadline, which falls right after Easter, though officials have indicated that the meetings have been productive. Lawmakers appear cautious to avoid the kind of blowup that delayed last year’s spending plan by more than a month as Democrats fought over bail laws and a plan to spur housing construction. Still, familiar subjects have emerged as sticking points this year. Lawmakers are trying to forge a deal on a housing plan that includes new construction, tenant protections and a tax break for developers to incentivize building in a state notorious for high rents and home costs. “We are all on the same planet. We’re all working towards trying to get that grand plan that will not only address affordability but address the needs of supply as well as the needs of tenant protections,” Stewart-Cousins said. There has also been a split over Hochul’s proposal to raise criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers, part of her larger strategy to address crime concerns in the state. Legislative leaders rejected her plan not long after it was announced, arguing the state already has laws against assault and said enhancing penalties won’t stop crimes. Another potential avenue for disagreement is Hochul’s proposal to change how the state gives out education funding to schools. The governor has said her plan would result in the state better directing money to districts that need additional funding. But it has drawn criticism because it would result in some districts getting less money. Instead, legislative leaders have said the state should conduct a study around the state’s school funding formula to see how it could be improved in the future. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, told reporters earlier this week that an extension was possible but maintained that he, the Senate and the governor were on the same page, mostly. “Sometimes in the budget, you might be in a different galaxy,” Heastie said Tuesday, adding “I don’t know if we’re in the same country yet, but I think we’re on the same planet.
Man sues GOP Rep. Burchett over Super Bowl rally shooting, illegal immigrant claims
A man who was briefly handcuffed in the chaos that followed a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally is suing a Tennessee congressman who falsely accused him in social media posts of being one of the shooters and an immigrant in the country illegally. Denton Loudermill Jr., of Olathe, Kansas, filed the federal lawsuit this week against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, alleging that the remarks were “highly offensive, derogatory in the extreme, and defamatory.” Burchett, a Republican, is serving his third term representing a district in east Tennessee. His spokeswoman, Rachel Partlow, said the office doesn’t comment on pending or active litigation. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FANS’ DEATHS: FAMILIES THREATENING TO SUE EACH OTHER FACE ‘HELL OF A HURDLE,’ LAWYER SAYS The Feb. 14 shooting outside the historic Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, killed a well-known DJ and injured more than 20 others, many of them children. Loudermill, who is not among those charged, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages. The suit says that when gunfire erupted, Loudermill froze, standing in the middle of the chaos so long that police had put up crime scene tape when he finally walked away. As he tried to go under the tape to leave, officers stopped him and told him he was moving “too slow.” They handcuffed him and put him on a curb, where people began taking pictures and posting them on social media, the suit says. Loudermill ultimately was led away from the area and told he was free to go. The suit says that Loudermill, who was born and raised in the U.S., was never detained, cited or arrested in the shooting. The suit stresses that he had no involvement and didn’t know any of the teens or young adults who argued before gunfire erupted. But the next day, a picture of Loudermill was posted on Burchett’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter. Above the picture were the words: “One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal Alien.” A follow-up post on Feb. 18 blamed incorrect news reports for the “illegal alien” identification. But the post, which was included in the lawsuit, still described the cuffed man seated on the curb as “one of the shooters.” The suit alleges the “false assertions” were reposted and widely circulated to more than 1 million people worldwide. The suit describes Loudermill as a car wash employee — not a public figure — and a “contributing member of his African-American family, a family with deep and long roots in his Kansas community.” The suit says he received death threats and experienced periods of “anxiety, agitation, and sleep disruption.”
Kansas lawmakers advance crackdown on Chinese land buys, economic activity
Republican legislators in Kansas advanced proposals Wednesday aimed at preventing individuals and companies from China and other U.S. adversaries from owning farmland or business property, limiting state investments in foreign companies and restricting the use of foreign-made drones. Some GOP conservatives, including state Attorney General Kris Kobach, want the state to enact even tougher restrictions, even as Democratic critics suggest the measures are fueled by xenophobia. Kansas already limits corporate ownership of agricultural land, and more than 20 other states restrict foreign land ownership, according to the National Agricultural Law Center. Supporters of such measures argue that they protect military installations and U.S. citizens from spying and other national security risks. TAIWAN SAFEGUARDS AGAINST RISING CHINA THREAT WITH COMMISSIONING OF 2 NEW NAVY CORVETTES The Republican-controlled Kansas House approved three bills addressing activities by individuals and companies from “countries of concern” — China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela — and groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. Under one bill, if their citizens own more than 10% of a firm, the firm couldn’t own farmland or business property within 150 miles of a U.S. military or National Guard base or property owned by any other U.S. or state agency critical to security — enough installations that all of Kansas is covered. Another bill would require the state to divest from companies with ties to the listed nations. A third would prohibit state and local agencies from acquiring drones with “critical components” made in those nations — and require agencies, including law enforcement, to replace drones with those components within five years. “It is inappropriate for our state to allocate resources to countries that present substantial obstacles to human rights, international stability and our national security,” said Republican state Rep. Nick Hoheisel, of Wichita, the chair of committees on pensions, banking and state investments. The votes were 85-38 on the state investment measure, 84-39 on the foreign land ownership proposal and 83-40 on the bill dealing with drones, and all three measures go next to the GOP-controlled state Senate. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has not said what she will do, but the House votes suggested that backers could have the two-thirds majority there to override a veto. Eighty of the House’s 85 Republicans voted “yes” on all three bills, while 36 of the 40 Democrats voted “no.” Some Democrats argued during debates Tuesday that Republicans were stoking anti-China sentiment, and Rep. Rui Xu, a Kansas City-area Democrat, compared the land ownership bill to decades-past U.S. policies discriminating against Asian Americans or Asian immigrants. A Kansas State University report for lawmakers last fall said foreign individuals or companies had an interest in only 2.4% of the state’s 49 million acres of privately owned agricultural land, and more than 94% of it could be attributed to land leased for solar or wind farms. Chinese ownership accounted for only a single acre, the report said. “This has turned into Asian Prejudice Day in the Kansas Legislature, and it’s not a proud moment,” Democratic Rep. John Carmichael, of Wichita, said during Tuesday’s debates. But the bills’ supporters rejected allegations that the measures were xenophobic or racist. Hoeheisel said they are justified by the nations’ human rights abuses. For example, in explaining his “yes” vote on the investments measure, he described Iran as a place “where women are subjected to stoning merely for being seen in public with a male who’s not a relative.” And Rep. Patrick Penn, another Wichita Republican, said the land-ownership bill would protect families by “seeking the truth” about “those who would seek to harm us.” “Let’s investigate. Let’s know the truth. Let’s be free,” Penn said. Kobach has proposed barring any foreign national from owning more than 3 acres of property in Kansas and setting up a new State Land Council with the power to review individual cases and make exceptions. The proposal remains stuck in a Senate committee, having inspired opposition from business and agriculture groups. When Kobach unveiled his proposal during a Statehouse news conference in February, he said it was more likely than other proposals to lead to investigations of who’s buying Kansas land. “That flat prohibition then requires individuals to come to the state and ask for an exception,” he said. Meanwhile, Democratic critics argued that the land ownership bill wouldn’t prevent spying and other threats to national security but would instead boomerang on immigrant small business owners waiting to become U.S. citizens. “To the extent that there is a problem, much of it could be addressed by our existing prohibition on corporate ownership of farmland,” said Democratic Rep. Boog Highberger, from Lawrence.
Tennessee bill authorizing use of death penalty for child rapists moves 1 step closer to becoming law
A Tennessee bill that would authorize the death penalty as punishment for the rape of a child has moved forward following a heated debate during the Tennessee Senate Judiciary committee meeting on Tuesday. Senate Bill 1834 (SB1834), sponsored by Republican Sen. Jack Johnson, would allow the death penalty as a punishment for “rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child.” The bill was presented to the committee by Republican Sen. Ken Yager, However, committee members brought two amendments forward on the bill, neither of which passed. During the meeting, Democratic Sen. London Lamar, who was pushing for an amendment, claimed that placing the death penalty on child rapists was “a lot of pressure” to put on the victims. WOMAN WHO SURVIVED SEX ASSAULT AS TEEN REACTS TO JUDGE BENCHED AFTER OVERTURNING HER ATTACKER’S CONVICTION “It’s already a sensitive subject for a child to come forth to make it be known that they have been violated and knowing that the person they are accusing is going to die,” Lamar said. “I would consider this friendly. It doesn’t disrupt the bill or anything. It’s just simply asking to give mental health counseling to the child throughout the process. Simple, shouldn’t be very controversial,” Lamar explained in her reasoning for the amendment. Yager countered Lamar, saying he could “not disagree more” and that he considered the amendment to be unfriendly and a disruption to the bill. “The mental health of the child is damaged at the time of the rape, not during the trial. At the time of the horrendous act of being raped, usually by someone they may know, that’s where the problem occurs,” Yager emotionally stated. NURSE HELPING AMERICANS IN ALLEGED BAHAMAS ATTACK WAS ‘SCARED’ BY WHAT SHE SAW: ‘COULD’VE BEEN MY DAUGHTERS’ Lamar goes on to explain that she feels this could prevent children from wanting to speak up. “That is a lot of pressure we are putting on children. In order for them to speak up about the violations they experienced, they know, in response, that somebody is going to die,” Lamar said. After lengthy testimony from the District Attorney’s office, several lawyers and child advocates, Lamar made a motion to send the bill to summer study to allow for more research and greater consideration of the information that was presented. During the testimony, District Attorney General Stephen Crump fired back at Lamar, who still insisted that passing the bill would harm the victims. “It is our position that the child victim would not be the one putting them to death. If anyone put them to death, it would be the rapist who asked for it,” Crump said. NYC MAN CHARGED WITH RAPING 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN HER HOME AFTER MEETING HER ONLINE: POLICE “I will push back against that. While the perpetrator deserves to be held accountable to the full extent of the law, should probably be sitting in prison for life, I do see a situation where you are going to force children to kill people, who may not come forth now because they know that someone they love was close to them will die,” Lamar said. Ultimately, the committee voted against sending the bill to summer study and went on to vote on the bill itself. In final statements, both Republican Sen. Kerry Roberts and Chairman Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10) noted that a vote against the bill did not mean a member was opposed to the death penalty for cases of rape but instead, that they were opposed to the bill itself as written. Roberts insisted that he was all in favor of issuing the death penalty as a punishment for those charges, but he could not support it because too many of those cases were based on circumstantial evidence. The bill passed with five in favor and four opposed. Voting against the bill were Gardenhire, Lamar, Roberts and Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis-District 30). The bill has now been referred to the Senate Calendar Committee. Tennessee is one of 27 states that allows capital punishment, and currently does not allow capital punishment for non-homicide crimes. Only seven other states allow the death penalty for certain child rape offenses.
Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan convicted in sprawling bribery case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan was convicted Wednesday of racketeering, bribery, fraud and giving false statements to investigators in a sprawling pay-to-play corruption scandal at City Hall. The federal jury reached the guilty verdict less than 24 hours after lawyers finished closing arguments, the Los Angeles Times reported. LA BURGLARS TUNNELED THROUGH BUSINESSES TO REACH JEWELRY STORE: ‘MUST HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF WORK’ Sentencing was set for June 10. Chan’s attorney, John Hanusz, told the judge that they will appeal. “Chan used his leadership position in City Hall to favor corrupt individuals and companies willing to play dirty,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “With today’s verdict, we send a strong message that the public will not stand for corruption and that pay-to-play politics has no place in our community.” This was Chan’s second trial in the bribery case involving downtown Los Angeles real estate development projects. The first fell apart after his lawyer, Harland Braun, was hospitalized and unable to return to work for months. A judge declared a mistrial last April. In the latest trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Faerstein told jurors that Chan and former City Councilmember Jose Huizar used the downtown real estate boom of the prior decade to enrich themselves and their allies, the Times reported. Faerstein described Chan, 67, as a crucial intermediary between Chinese developers looking to build high-rises and Huizar, who headed the powerful committee that shepherded such projects. In opening arguments March 12, Faerstein said Chan “got bribes for himself, and he got bribes for other public officials.” Chan is the last defendant charged in the City Hall corruption investigation to go on trial. Huizar, who pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion charges, was sentenced in January to 13 years in prison. More than a half-dozen others have been convicted or pleaded guilty to federal charges, including Huizar’s brother, Salvador Huizar. “This case was, and always has been, about Jose Huizar,” Hanusz said. Hanusz agreed that Huizar and the others were corrupt. But he said while Huizar accepted flights to Las Vegas, casino chips and lavish hotel stays, Chan received none of those things. Chan, while working with developers, was motivated not by greed but by a desire to make Los Angeles more business-friendly, Hanusz said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Chan was the top executive at the Department of Building and Safety until 2016, when he became the deputy mayor in charge of economic development under Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was not implicated in the scandal. Chan held that job for slightly more than a year, then left city government to become a private-sector consultant, representing real estate developers. Prosecutors have accused Chan of secretly setting up a consulting firm while working for the city and overseeing government actions for which he was paid by a developer after he left his city employment, the Times said.
Joe Lieberman, former Connecticut senator, 2000 vice presidential nominee, dead at 82
Joseph Lieberman, a former senator from Connecticut who became the first Jewish American to be nominated on a major party’s ticket, died Wednesday at 82. According a statement from his family, Lieberman died on Wednesday afternoon following complications from a fall. “Former United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman died this afternoon, March 27, 2024, in New York City due to complications from a fall,” his family said in a statement. “He was 82 years old. His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed.” “Senator Lieberman’s love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest,” the family said. Lieberman’s funeral will be held on Friday, March 29, 2024, at Congregation Agudath Sholom in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. Lieberman was a longtime member of the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2013. Elected originally as a Democrat, he won reelection in 2006 as an independent after losing the Democratic Party primary. In 2000, he was the Democratic vice presidential nominee — the first Jewish candidate on a major party presidential ticket. This is a breaking story. Check back for more details.
Evers signs new laws designed to bolster safety of judges, combat human trafficking
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday signed into law bipartisan bills that are designed to better protect the safety of judges following the killing of a retired judge and combat the rise in human trafficking. In total, Evers signed 29 crime-related bills, most of which passed with broad bipartisan support. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS VETOES GOP VOTING, ELECTION AUDIT BILLS; GREENLIGHTS POLITICAL AI CRACKDOWN The Wisconsin Supreme Court had recommended three of the bills that Evers signed, which were initiated in response to threats of violence against judges. The bills were introduced after 68-year-old retired Wisconsin judge John Roemer was shot and killed in his New Lisbon home in 2022. The man accused of killing Roemer had been sentenced to prison by Roemer years earlier. He shot himself in Roemer’s home and later died in the hospital. One new law makes it a crime to picket, parade, or demonstrate at or near a judge’s home with the intent to influence or interfere with their work. Another gives new privacy protections to judges to halt publication of personal information about them and their families, including home addresses. And the third bill Evers signed exempts a judicial security profile form from disclosure under the public records law. There have been 142 threats made against Wisconsin judges in the past year, according to the Wisconsin Supreme Court Marshal’s Office. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler, in a statement praising enactment of the new laws, cited Roemer’s killing as one of many acts of increasing violence against judges across the country. She called the package of new laws a “much-needed step in the right direction to provide safety and security to our judicial officers.” Evers also signed a package of bills that were proposed by a legislative task force that studied human trafficking. One law creates a human trafficking council starting in July 2025 at the state Department of Justice. It is charged with collecting and maintaining information and data about human trafficking, developing model training and creating a state strategic plan to prevent human trafficking. Another bill Evers signed requires training in identifying and preventing human trafficking for employees who are likely to have contact with the public and vulnerable people. That includes private security officers, public transit managers, hotel and motel owners and those who own and manage strip clubs. Expanding training to identify human trafficking “will be a critical tool in our efforts to intervene and prevent human trafficking crimes,” Evers said in a statement. Evers also signed into law a measure that makes $10 million available in grants for services that support crime victims, including sexual assault and domestic violence abuse survivors. Another bipartisan bill Evers signed will ensure full staffing of an office that assists schools with addressing safety concerns. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The new law would use state money to replace federal pandemic relief funds to fund about 14 positions in the state Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety for nine months. Other bills Evers signed will increase the penalty for fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer; create a new crime for possessing child sexual abuse material created with Artificial Intelligence technology and create a new crime for possessing sex dolls intended to resemble minors.
State Dept. reacts to staffer’s public resignation over Israel offensive in Gaza
The Department of State has responded to inquiries about a staffer who publicly resigned over U.S. inaction regarding the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller pushed back on former staffer Annelle Sheline’s public resignation earlier in the day, which she told outlets was due to being “unable to serve an administration that enables such atrocities” occurring in Gaza. “She was a fellow at the State Department and, in my understanding, had just finished the first year of a fellowship that could have gone for two years and did not exercise her option to return for a second year as a fellow,” Miller told reporters. POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS DON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’S ACTION IN GAZA AS BIDEN-ISRAEL RELATIONS HIT ‘LOW POINT’ He continued, “There is a broad diversity of views inside the State Department about our policy with respect to Gaza just as there is a broad diversity in the State Department about our policy in a number of important foreign policy issues. As there is a broad diversity of views and opinions throughout American society about this issue and others.” Sheline, in a public display of disapproval towards President Biden’s administration, resigned Wednesday from her job as a foreign affairs officer in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. She cited U.S. inaction as Israel plans a ground invasion of Rafah that the White House has said it does not support. “Israel is still planning to invade Rafah, where the majority of people in Gaza have fled; UN officials have described the carnage that is expected to ensue as ‘beyond imagination,’” Sheline wrote in a Wednesday opinion piece for CNN. “In the West Bank, armed settlers and Israeli soldiers have killed Palestinians, including US citizens. These actions, which experts on genocide have testified meet the crime of genocide, are conducted with the diplomatic and military support of the US government.” CRITICS CHARGE BIDEN WITH ABANDONING ISRAEL, HOSTAGES AMID GROWING TENSIONS WITH JEWISH STATE She added, “Whatever credibility the United States had as an advocate for human rights has almost entirely vanished since the war began.” Miller stated in the Wednesday press briefing that State Department personnel are given avenues through which they can openly dissent to higher-ups and conduct meetings on policy disagreements. “When dissent cables are authored on any issue, [the Secretary of State] meets with employees who have a broad range of views. He listens to their feedback, and he takes it into account in his decision-making,” Miller said. “And he encourages other senior leaders in the department to do so as well. And that’s what he will continue to do and what we will all try to continue to do, because we believe that actually listening to dissent informs better decisions — having our having decisions challenged helps us make better ones in the future.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sheline affirmed in a previous interview with the Washington Post that she attended multiple internal listening sessions in which personnel were able to voice dissenting points of view about policy. “I wasn’t able to really do my job anymore,” she told the Post. “Trying to advocate for human rights just became impossible.” However, the vocal coalition of disgruntled State Department personnel have been unable to budge official policy — which Sheline says ultimately forced her resignation. “I had not initially planned a public resignation. Because my time at State had been so short — I was hired on a two-year contract — I did not think I mattered enough to announce my resignation publicly. However, when I started to tell colleagues of my decision to resign, the response I heard repeatedly was, ‘Please speak for us,’” Sheline wrote in her CNN column.
Former California Controller Betty Yee joins crowded 2026 race to replace Newsom
California’s former Controller Betty Yee announced Wednesday she will run for governor in 2026, vying to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom against other major Democratic contenders in what will be the first open race for the state’s top office since 2018. If elected, Yee would be the first woman to become California’s governor. She is a San Francisco native born to Chinese immigrant parents. Yee, who currently serves as vice chair of the California Democratic Party, says she wants to tackle affordability, bring transparency to Sacramento and address the climate crisis. CALIFORNIA SENATE LEADER ANNOUNCES 2026 BID FOR GOVERNOR “Things in California just don’t add up anymore. Families are working harder than ever, but the cost of housing, food, college, childcare, elder care, and more is moving out of our reach,” Yee said in a statement. “Together we have the grit and the power to make California add up for all of us again.” The race to replace Newsom, who terms out in 2027, will be a Democratic free-for-all sure to attract the party’s top talent for the chance to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fifth largest economy. Yee will have to compete in an extremely diverse pool of candidates for a post that has mostly been held by white men. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who is Black, and outgoing state Senate leader Toni Atkins, a lesbian lawmaker, have all announced their candidacies. Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is Filipino, has said he is seriously considering a run. Yee served as the budget director for Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. She was then elected as a member of the California State Board of Equalization and then as state controller. California controller is responsible for disbursing state funds, auditing government agencies and serving on more than 70 boards and commissions.
New Jersey Democrat facing pressure to resign after mocking Easter online with drag, abortion references
A local New Jersey Democrat is facing calls to resign from her post after she shared a meme on social media mocking Easter with references to drag and abortion. “Easter eggs are aborted chicken babies that are painted in drag for small children to worship,” said the meme shared by Glen Rock Borough Councilwoman Paula Gilligan on Instagram last week. Gilligan faced immediate backlash from members of the community, especially Christians, who demanded she apologize and step down from Glen Rock’s all-Democrat, all-female council. Some are even planning to protest her actions at the borough’s next council meeting on Wednesday night. VIRGINIA COUNTY DECLARES TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER THIS YEAR Gilligan later apologized in a statement released on social media and on the council’s website, claiming her posting of the meme was intended to express her views on abortion and trans issues, but notably made no mention of Easter. “It has come to my attention that there are constituents in Glen Rock that have concerns with a meme on my personal Instagram story. The meme takes aim at the absurdity of ‘personhood’ laws,” Gilligan wrote, referencing various current and proposed laws in states around the country dictating that fetuses have the same legal rights as a person already born. “It is my personal opinion that people have the right to control their bodies and their lives. My personal Instagram does not constitute the official views, opinions or beliefs of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Glen Rock. To those who feel it mocks your holiday traditions, that was not my intention. Wishing all who celebrate a peaceful, joyous holiday,” she added. Gilligan’s posting of the meme and subsequent apology came just weeks after residents of Glen Rock gathered at the local high school cafeteria on Mar. 9 to stand in solidarity against antisemitism following multiple instances of vandalism around the borough that even attracted the attention of Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who condemned them. Glen Rock’s mayor and other council members released a statement over the weekend apologizing to members of the community offended by Gilligan’s actions. WATCH: DEMOCRAT FRONTRUNNER IN TIGHT SENATE RACE DROPS RACIAL SLUR DURING HOUSE HEARING “We have been made aware of a post that appeared on one of our Council Member’s personal Instagram stories. This post invoked Easter, the holiest day of the year in the Christian calendar, in a point about two issues that have nothing to do with Easter,” the statement said. “We all feel very strongly that everyone’s religious beliefs and traditions must be treated with respect. They should not be the subject of jokes or inflammatory social media posts. That is even more true when the social media post is made by an elected official, because we are here to represent and support all Glen Rockers of all religious beliefs and backgrounds,” it said. “We understand how important Easter and the symbols of Easter are to the many Glen Rockers who celebrate,” it added. Gilligan has so far not said whether she is considering resigning and did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox has also reached out to Gottheimer’s office for comment considering his recent strong stance against antisemitism. Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of Wednesday’s council meeting, local Republican leader Barry Wilkes described his reaction to Gilligan’s mocking of Easter, and expressed hope that members of the community will show up en masse at the meeting to speak out against such rhetoric. TOP DEMOCRAT IN TIGHT SENATE RACE BACKS CITIZENSHIP, VOTING RIGHTS FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “I’m a churchgoer, and I’m a believer. To see this the week before Easter was really troubling — troubling to the respect that it has absolutely nothing to do with what the holiday, what the holy day means. The resurrection of Christ has absolutely nothing to do with that,” Wilkes said. “What bothers me most, and the reason I’m involved, is because it’s very selfish when adults do these types of things because it only hurts our children. It confuses our children and makes it harder for them to figure out what’s going on, what the world is all about,” he said. Wilkes, a former candidate for the New Jersey state Assembly who is considering his own run for district chair, said he was part of a group looking into launching a recall effort against Gilligan, and that he wanted people to show up in the hundreds for the 6:30 p.m. ET council meeting and the 8:00 p.m. ET question portion to show what kind of behavior shouldn’t be displayed by a local elected official. “You want someone on a council who people look up to, who has answers for them, who you believe in because you voted for them and trusted them. To come out two weeks after the March 9th meeting and be divisive with something like this is just blatant hypocrisy,” he said. “I think betrayed is a good word,” he added.