Platkin: Guardian of Justice, or Guardian of the Machine?

Matt Platkin, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and confirmed in 2022, was billed as a reformer committed to transparency and fairness. Yet his tenure has been marked by selective enforcement and a troubling pattern of political protectionism. From the start, Platkin has been widely viewed not as an independent watchdog, but as a political loyalist—Murphy’s man in Trenton, willing to safeguard allies and go after critics when convenient.

Sending detectives to confiscate personal phones based on nothing more than an accusation of talking to a journalist reeks of political retaliation, not justice. Platkin has effectively transformed the Attorney General’s Office into a political shield for the entrenched Democratic power structure. Instead of combating corruption, he is enabling it.

The Brian Stack Factor

Brian Stack’s control over Union City and Hudson County politics has long been legendary. His machine thrives on loyalty, fear, and the blurring of lines between government authority and political enforcement. The officers caught up in this latest spectacle are collateral damage in Stack’s endless campaign to silence opposition.

But what is more alarming is how easily Platkin’s office has allowed itself to be co-opted into Stack’s political war. By lending the credibility of the state’s highest law enforcement office to such a dubious pursuit, Platkin has legitimized the notion that political enemies can and will be targeted with the full weight of the state.

Misuse of State Resources

Every detective hour spent executing political raids is an hour not spent combating real crime. Every taxpayer dollar used to intimidate whistleblowers is a dollar stolen from communities that need safer streets, better public safety, and honest government. Platkin’s decision to mobilize state resources for this witch-hunt against two local officers is an insult to the people of New Jersey.

The Attorney General’s Office is entrusted with vast powers and a broad mandate, including overseeing county prosecutors and police departments statewide. But under Platkin, those powers are being squandered on political errands for the Democratic establishment.

Platkin’s Pattern of Politicized Justice

This is not an isolated incident—it fits a broader trend. Platkin has consistently walked in lockstep with the Murphy administration, defending its policies while turning a blind eye to corruption in Democratic strongholds. Critics argue he has selectively pursued investigations to avoid embarrassing party bosses, all while amplifying cases that fit neatly into the Democrats’ narrative of political dominance.

In doing so, Platkin has reduced the Attorney General’s Office to little more than an arm of the party apparatus. His actions echo the same political tactics Democrats have employed nationally against President Donald J. Trump: use the language of “justice” while deploying the machinery of law enforcement for political ends.

A Democracy in Name Only

When journalists, whistleblowers, or police officers cannot speak freely without fear of state reprisal, democracy is nothing more than a disguise. What is happening in Union City is not just a local matter; it is a warning to every citizen in New Jersey.

Platkin’s behavior demonstrates that the Attorney General’s Office is no longer functioning as an independent guardian of the people but has instead become a political instrument to protect insiders like Brian Stack and Governor Murphy. This is how democracies die—not with one dramatic collapse, but with a steady corrosion of trust, accountability, and freedom, overseen by leaders like Matt Platkin who confuse their duty to the people with their loyalty to the machine.

The Path Forward

New Jerseyans deserve an Attorney General who enforces the law without fear or favor, not one who weaponizes it for political purposes. They deserve leaders who prioritize justice, not self-preservation. Platkin has proven himself incapable of meeting that standard.

The raid on these officers is not just an attack on them—it is an attack on free speech, journalism, and the public’s right to know. It is proof that the state’s top law enforcement office is compromised, corrupted by the very political forces it should be investigating.

Until Matt Platkin is held accountable, New Jersey’s democracy will remain democracy in name only—its substance hollowed out by a political machine that thrives on intimidation and control.