Assemblyman asks Murphy to raise flags for Trump inauguration

Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-Denville) has called on Gov. Phil Murphy to raise the American flag to full-staff during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Flags have been at half-staff since the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29. The American flag is typically flown at half-staff for 30 days after a president’s death, meaning the flags will be at half-staff during Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Indeed, Murphy signed an executive order requiring flags to be flown at half-staff until Jan. 28.

Bergen argued the flags should be flown at full-staff on Inauguration Day to honor the peaceful transition of power and then lowered again to honor Carter’s life.

“Governor Murphy needs to get this right. The peaceful transfer of power is a cornerstone of our democracy, and it deserves to be acknowledged with the dignity of a flag flying high,” Bergen said in a release. “Then, lowering the flag again to honor President Carter is a meaningful way to show respect for his service to our nation. This way actually honors both presidents.”

Bergen said a similar maneuver has been done before: In 1973, in the weeks after President Lyndon Johnson’s death, President Richard Nixon raised the flags for one day to celebrate the first American prisoners of war released from Vietnam. The flags were lowered again the next day.

“It isn’t complicated,” Bergen said. “It’s about respecting the office, the process and the history of our country. I believe President Carter would appreciate that and smile down on us.”