Apology offered for sticker from ‘extreme’ movement
My decision to put a sticker on a family vehicle with the hashtag #WWG1WGA was wrong and I’m deeply sorry to anyone who has been offended and to my constituents who have questioned my action.
The hashtag represents the statement “Where We Go One, We Go All” which is associated with the QAnon movement. At the time of placing the sticker on my car I understood the movement stood for stopping corruption in politics, holding government accountable and protecting individual freedoms — all of which are values I strongly believe in. My failure to look into the movement more deeply, which I take full responsibility for, led me to overlook the extreme views of the movement which I don’t subscribe to and find abhorrent. It was my lack of fully understanding this movement that led me to put these words on my car for which I deeply regret.
I was wrong. I was wrong to assume that a sticker would not evoke the extreme elements of the movement which I vehemently disagree with and which I did not fully understand at the time. Placing that sticker on my car without seeing the bigger picture was a mistake and I sincerely apologize.
I hope that my constituents will understand that one sticker wrongly placed on my car does not represent who I am as a person and public servant. I believe a person’s character is best judged on how they treat others.
I have always worked hard to help my constituents. I’ve been a strong supporter of legislation to combat hate crimes and make Holocaust and genocide education part of school curriculum. I’ve worked with my colleagues to implement historic policies to make health care more affordable and accessible for all, to rein in overspending, to reduce taxes, to build the state’s budget reserves and to give all people an opportunity to succeed.
I am deeply sorry to those personally offended by the sticker, which I removed from my car weeks ago, but which I know still weighs heavily on the minds of some. I am also disappointed that this mistake has become a distraction from talking about the real issues facing our state during this critical time.
Connecticut is facing unimaginable challenges. From unemployment and small-business closures to public health concerns and an explosion of mental health and substance abuse issues, Connecticut has so many bigger issues that need our focus. I constantly hear from constituents who need help accessing unemployment benefits, who have loved ones in nursing homes they cannot visit, and who are worried about the survival of their small business and what will happen to their workers if they close. We cannot ignore that our state remains unaffordable for many families and the potential for new taxes in the coming year is a serious threat that needs to be talked about now and mitigated. I remain focused on these many issues and on doing my job, which is to develop solutions and help people.