PACleanSweep to Rep.
Angel Cruz: Resign Immediately Philadelphia lawmaker swore to "support, obey
and defend" the Pennsylvania Constitution, but confessed: "I've never read
it."
Following a shocking admission by Rep. Angel
Cruz (D, Philadelphia) that he
has not fully read the PA Constitution, the Board of Directors of
PACleanSweep voted unanimously to demand his immediate resignation for
swearing a "fraudulent oath of office."
Cruz found himself in an impromptu sidewalk debate Monday with activist Gene Stilp, who criticized Cruz's support of the controversial legislative pay raise. When Stilp accused Cruz of violating the PA Constitution by accepting his raise early in the form of "unvouchered expenses," Cruz plead ignorance and admitted he wasn't familiar with the relevant sections of the document. "I've never read it. I'd be lying to you if I said
I'd read it," the
Philadelphia Inquirer quoted him as saying.
"Angel Cruz clearly has no business serving in the General Assembly," said PACleanSweep Chair Russ Diamond. "We've been hammering the entire legislature since July for failing to obey and defend the Constitution. But here's an elected official who hasn't even read it. "It's appalling that he swore an oath to support,
obey and defend a document he has not read and doesn't understand. I can
think of no better way to show disrespect and disdain for his constituents
than by choosing to ignore the supreme law of the land."
PACleanSweep demanded Cruz's resignation in a letter sent via certified mail on Wednesday. A copy was faxed to Cruz's offices in Harrisburg and Philadelphia and posted on PACleanSweep.com. The letter was also translated to Spanish. The letter castigates Cruz for exercising power without following through on his oath of office: "You have been in office for nearly five years and now admit ignorance of a very basic constitutional provision. By doing so, you have made it unmistakably clear that you swore a disingenuous and fraudulent oath of office on three separate occasions." PACleanSweep demanded Cruz resign in order to restore dignity to the legislature: "The citizens in your district deserve a representative who respects the PA Constitution and fully understands its meaning... there is only one action you can take to demonstrate a newfound respect for your office and your constituents: resign." "Just when you think our state legislators can't stoop any lower, Angel Cruz has admitted to defiling the public trust in a whole new way," said PACleanSweep Strategic Director Mike Bergmaier. "His indifferent admission that he is unable to fulfill a simple one-sentence oath shows a lack of respect for truth, dignity, and his fellow citizens." "This opens a can of worms that Mr. Cruz cannot close. I wonder how many other lawmakers have taken their oath without reading the Constitution? It's tantamount to perjury," concluded Diamond. PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort
dedicated to defeating incumbent lawmakers in the Pennsylvania General
Assembly and replacing them with true public servants. For more
information, please visit www.PACleanSweep.com. |
