An embattled Democrat congressman is on defense after a new ad accused him of lobbying against a national sex offender registry.
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), who was first elected to Congress in 2018, was registered as the top lobbyist for Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2005 when Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner introduced the Children’s Safety Act.
HRW fought provisions of that legislation, and the organization claimed the following year that “sex offender laws may do more harm than good.” Among other things, HRW lamented the impact such registries may have on sex offenders.
The group argued:
Unfettered public access to online sex-offender registries with no “need-to-know” restrictions exposes former offenders to the risk that individuals will act on this information in irresponsible and even unlawful ways. There is little evidence that this form of community notification prevents sexual violence. Residency restrictions banish former offenders from entire towns and cities, forcing them to live far from homes, families, jobs and treatment, and hindering law-enforcement supervision. Residency restrictions are counterproductive to public safety and harmful to former offenders.
Malinowski is now having to answer for that advocacy in a new ad produced by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC):
The NRCC ad claims Malinowski has become “dangerously radical.”
Now, despite disclosures indicating he was a lobbyist for HRW, Malinowski is attempting to disown any involvement.
“I did not play any such role. It’s not my campaign that says that but the organization that says that,” Malinowski said during a recent debate, according to the New Jersey Globe. “We submitted lobbying reports that listed everybody in the organization that lobbied on any issue.”
“He was the top lobbyist for the organization, and they advocate against protecting children. So, either he was weak, or he didn’t try to stop it,” Malinowski’s challenger, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. countered. “But the real question is how in the world can you work for an organization that advocated against protecting children?”
“The organization’s 2006 lobbying disclosure report lists Malinowski and a colleague, Jennifer Daskal, as lobbyists against the crime bill,” the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Malinowski’s biography on his campaign website currently lists him as “the chief advocate for Human Rights Watch.”
Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays. Listen to segments on YouTube or download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, and follow him on Parler.