NJ City Employee Fired For Refusing To Disavow His Own Sister

Turning on your own family is now a hallmark of the modern Left

Jonathan Gomez Noriega, an aide to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, was fired for refusing to disavow his Republican sister.

In the former Soviet Union, Russian citizens were often encouraged to report their fellow neighbors, coworkers, and even family members to the Soviet secret police. By reporting so-called enemies of the state, Soviet citizens could prove their own loyalty to the regime. The extent of the Soviet Union’s repression operation may not have been possible without the common man; according to one Communist Party report, in 1935 there were ten times as many citizen informants as secret police agents. This citizen-led mass surveillance and distrust helped send some 20 million Russians to gulag prisons and work camps.

One infamous example involves a 12-year-old boy whom the Soviets hailed as a martyr, Pavlik Morozov. Morozov is famous for reporting his own father to Soviet police for committing crimes against the state.

In Soviet Russia, the state was supreme. Every citizen was expected to show loyalty to the state above all else, including their own families.

Unfortunately that type of fanaticism didn’t die with the Soviet Union. It still reigns in Jersey City, New Jersey thanks to that city’s Democrat mayor, Steven Fulop.

Three days ago, Fulop publicly admitted to firing one of his aides, a man named Jonathan Gomez Noriega. Gomez Noriega had worked for Fulop for three years, and was part of Jersey City’s LGBTQ Task Force. Like the mayor, Gomez-Noriega was, or at least appeared to be, a Democrat. His X feed is littered with reposts expressing support for Palestinians in Gaza. He also publicly supports the Biden administration, and reposts Biden and Democrat Party X accounts.

So what was his crime? What did Gomez Noriega do that warranted his firing? Supporting and refusing to publicly disavow his sister, Valentina Gomez, who was running for Secretary of State of Missouri, a state more than 1,000 miles away.

During her recent run for Secretary of State, Valentina Gomez gained notoriety and a large 200,000+ following on X for her inflammatory videos and hot takes on the latest news of the day. In fact, most of her content has little to do with the role of a secretary of state. It’s mainly MAGA red meat.

Valentina Gomez, who just ran for Secretary of State in Missouri

As with any political commentator, there are those that support Gomez’s message and rhetoric. There are others who likely find her words abhorrent and offensive. I hesitate to characterize Valentina Gomez’s content beyond that, because the fact is, it’s beside the point. It doesn’t matter what or how offensive Gomez’s content is. The only person responsible for her words and actions is Gomez herself (and since she’s running for office, her campaign staff).

That changed a few days ago, just before Gomez’s primary election. Her content quickly became the subject of a small political scandal in Jersey City.

A local news outlet called the Jersey City Times published a story reporting that Valentina Gomez’s brother had made a $1,250 donation to his sister’s campaign. The outlet also reported that Jonathan Gomez Noriega had dared to take photographs with his sister.

“Gomez’s Instagram page includes multiple photos of him with both his sister and Mayor Fulop.” — Jersey City Times report

The horror. A brother taking photos with his sister.

The implication of the story was that one of Mayor Fulop’s aides was supporting a “hate-filled campaign.” Specifically, the Jersey City Times took issue with Valentina Gomez’s commentary on a biologically male boxer at the Olympics named Imane Khelif, who was allowed to compete against women. In a video posted to X, Gomez used a slur to describe those who supported Khelif’s right to compete.

But Gomez’s brother never publicly supported her commentary on the matter. In fact, he publicly stated the exact opposite. It clear at the time of publication that Jonathan Gomez Noriega thought the story would blow over. He told the outlet:

“While I support all of my family members, including my sister Valentina, in their personal endeavors, we often have different views. My life story and trajectory reflect my commitment to inclusivity, respect, and equality for all individuals. I do not share the views expressed in her statement.”

That appeared to quell the matter for a few hours, until a Jersey City Councilman named Frank Gilmore called for Gomez Noriega’s firing. Gomez Noriega’s explicit disagreement with his sister’s views was no longer enough.

A group called the Jersey City LGBTQ+ Alliance Against Hate launched a petition calling for Gomez Noriega’s immediate removal. The petition accused him of demonstrating “behavior that undermines the core values of inclusivity, respect, and support that our community holds dear.” Shortly after, staffers at the nearby Hudson Pride Center, a partner in Jersey City’s LGBTQ Task Force, resigned from the task force in protest. The executive director at the center announced she was resigning until Gomez Noriega condemned “the hateful and divisive anti-LGBTQ rhetoric espoused by his sister.” Apparently it was lost on her that Gomez-Noriega had already done this.

The local pressure from these groups proved to be insurmountable for Gomez-Noriega. Two days after the Jersey City Times’ report, Gomez Noriega announced he was resigning on X. In his statement, Gomez Noriega again made clear that he does not discriminate against any human being and added that he “does not support any hateful remarks directed toward the LGBTQ+ community.” However, he also refused to attack his sister. Instead he reiterated that he loves his sister, and that he is proud to step up for his family and maintain his relationship with her despite their political differences.

Valentina Gomez quickly responded to her brother’s resignation with a post of her own. In a video on X, Gomez shared what appears to be an audio recording of Mayor Fulop apparently threatening Gomez Noriega, saying “and Jon if you think that is boldness, I’m going to fire you. I’m going to look in five minutes—if it’s not clear where you stand, then you’re not with me. You’re with her. And you can’t work with me. Period.”

If the video is real—and there is no indication that it is not—then it is clear evidence Mayor Fulop demanded Gomez Noriega side with him, Jersey City, and its radical activists over his own sister.

And that’s not the only evidence. What’s amazing is, it’s not a guess as to whether Fulop actually fired Gomez Noriega over this matter. Mayor Fulop basically admitted doing so in a response to Valentina Gomez’s video.

In his response, Fulop defended his actions by stating Gomez Noriega was a “at-will employee for the city.” He also admitted Gomez Noriega was fired because “he doesn’t reflect the values of the city.” Accompanying Fulop’s self-incriminating response were screenshots of text messages he had with Gomez Noriega.

In the messages, seen above, Fulop himself wrote a draft version of a statement that he would’ve considered acceptable for Gomez Noriega to read. The statement called on Gomez Noriega to explicitly state he did not support his “sister’s hateful speech or campaign.”

In another text, Fulop told Gomez Noriega that he couldn’t be seen publicly with his sister. “Seeing your family is one thing but this is between us you absolutely can not campaign for her or support her publicly as those values are just counter to who we stand for.”

Though it’s unclear what the rest of Gomez Noriega’s text exchange with Mayor Fulop might have contained, it is clear that Gomez Noriega refused Mayor Fulop’s threats. He should be commended for his courage. Gomez Noriega and his sister could not be more different politically. Yet he sided with her, as most good and decent people should.

The attempted forced betrayal of one’s family is evil. Plain and simple.

Family loyalty increasingly seems like a rarer trait these days. Especially when politics are involved. It’s also a trait more common among conservatives. Several studies have shown conservatives are more likely to “feel more empathetic concern” to family than nonfamily, which was unsurprisingly the opposite for liberals. Conservatives are also more likely to feel more love to family than liberals, or as one group of researchers put it: “liberalism is associated with a more universalist sense of compassion.”

That is ultimately the type of society people like Mayor Fulop want. One that—like in Soviet Russia—encourages people to adhere to and worship the state’s agenda. Family be damned.