Republicans vying to become the state’s next top attorney may soon face each other in court, as a spokesman for Martha Dean said today she plans to take “legal action” against her Republican opponent Ross Garber tomorrow.

“We are in the process of putting through some legal action regarding Mr. Garber’s campaign,” said Dean spokesman, Paul Pacelli. Details of the legal action will be revealed at a 1 p.m. press conference Wednesday.

Pacelli would not divulge what the basis for the suit was. Dean has been vocal in her criticism of Garber on her Facebook page, following a recent flyer mailed by his campaign stating “Martha Dean wants to decriminalize heroin and cocaine.”

She wrote in a post Tuesday afternoon, “He has not backed off or retracted his false claims. …His entirely false statements of my position of non-AG-related issues have now been disseminated in writing throughout Connecticut. This is an example of the very worse type of lawyer and politician.”

In response, Garber wrote Dean a letter saying he is surprised by her lawsuit.

“You have emphasized your commitment to our state and federal constitutions, both of which embody the principles of free speech – principles that are perhaps most importantly applied in the context of popular elections, where candidates highlight and discuss their views and the views of their opponents,” he wrote. “If you believe I have mischaracterized your position on an issue, I urge you to tell me how. I also offer to have a public debate with you on the issues in the Attorney General’s race.  I think such a debate would be more fruitful than burdening the resources of our already taxed court system.”

Jacqueline was CT Mirror’s Education and Housing Reporter, and an original member of the CT Mirror staff, joining shortly before our January 2010 launch. Her awards include the best-of-show Theodore A. Driscoll Investigative Award from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists in 2019 for reporting on inadequate inmate health care, first-place for investigative reporting from the New England Newspaper and Press Association in 2020 for reporting on housing segregation, and two first-place awards from the National Education Writers Association in 2012. She was selected for a prestigious, year-long Propublica Local Reporting Network grant in 2019, exploring a range of affordable and low-income housing issues. Before joining CT Mirror, Jacqueline was a reporter, online editor and website developer for The Washington Post Co.’s Maryland newspaper chains. Jacqueline received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in public policy from Trinity College.

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