National Republicans attack Nellie Pou over ‘leaked memo’ they made up

Journalists covering Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon)’s competitive race for re-election got a bombshell in their inboxes this morning from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). A “leaked memo” from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) laid out Democrats’ radical vision for America if they retake the House in 2026: open borders, bans on gas-powered cars, government-mandated wokeism, and more.

The catch: the memo was a fake, written by the NRCC as a spoof of what they say will happen if Democrats flip control of Congress, and has nothing to do with the DCCC – let alone Pou herself.

The memo lays out Democrats’ supposed eight-point “Project 2026” plan under headings like “Open Borders. Full Stop” and “End Fossil Fuels, Gas Stoves, Cars, and Common Sense.” Some of the purported positions it lays out aren’t far off of real Democratic positions, like impeaching President Donald Trump – some Democrats did indeed make an impeachment effort earlier this year, though Pou voted against it – while others are further afield, like preventing comedian Shane Gillis and actress Sydney Sweeney from appearing in ads.

But there’s no direct disclaimer anywhere in the memo, or in the press release attacking Pou, acknowledging that the entire thing is a fabrication, though an “NRCC note” appended to the end of the memo reveals the GOP’s involvement.

The NRCC said that the note at the bottom, as well as the generally preposterous tone of the memo itself (its headline is “🚨LEAKED MEMO”), should make it obvious to observers that the entire thing was meant as a joke.

“It’s clearly satire, but what’s unfortunately not satire is Nellie Pou’s radical record that continues to leave New Jerseyans behind,” O’Toole told the New Jersey Globe.

Pou’s campaign, for its part, accused Republicans of resorting to lies because they lack any real issues to campaign on.

“Nellie Pou is fighting every day to make life more affordable for New Jersey families,” Pou campaign manager Morghan Cyr said. “Desperate Washington Republicans are once again showing they have absolutely nothing real to offer the people of Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties except made up lies.” 

Pou, a former state senator elected to her first term last year, faces a tough 2026 fight for re-election in the 9th congressional district, which unexpectedly voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Two Republicans, 2024 GOP nominee Billy Prempeh and Clifton Councilwoman Rosie Pino, have launched campaigns against the congresswoman, and the NRCC has indicated that it intends to target her heavily.

During her first seven months in Congress, Pou has maintained a relatively liberal voting record and sided against Republicans on most key issues, giving her political opponents fodder for attacks. Her vote against the Laken Riley Act – she was the only Trump-district Democrat to vote no – has led the NRCC to blame her for practically every crime committed by undocumented immigrants ever since.

The New Jersey Globe could find no evidence, however, that Pou has ever taken a stance one way or the other on Shane Gillis or Sydney Sweeney.