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Brooklyn Political Roundup, April 11: Nadler warns Trump: Don’t interfere with Mueller

In Public Service, From The Political Staff Of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle

April 11, 2018 By Paula Katinas & John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle
President Donald Trump. AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File
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Nadler Warns Trump: Don’t Interfere with Mueller

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler issued a statement in the wake of a raid by FBI agents on the home and office of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer on Monday in which the congressman warned the president not to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation.

Nadler is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

“The president thinks he is the state, and that an attack on him is an attack on the country.  Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.  The president, like everyone else, is subject to the law, and he should know that he will be held accountable to the law. Any move against Special Counsel Mueller, against Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein who oversees the special counsel’s office, or against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is recused from such matters, must be seen for what it truly would be — the obstruction of justice and an abuse of power,” Nadler said in his statement.

“If the president were to move in any way to undermine or interfere with the special counsel’s ongoing investigation, based on his consistent rhetoric it would appear to be the actions of a guilty party,” Nadler added. – PK

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EMILY’s List endorses Maloney 

Democratic U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney is often referred to as a Manhattan elected official, but her congressional district also stretches into Brooklyn, taking in parts of the northern end of the borough like Greenpoint. 

Maloney, who is running for re-election in November, has been endorsed by EMILY’s List, the organization that promotes women in politics. 

“Not only has she fought to protect working families, but as a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus, Carolyn has dedicated her career to protecting women and their right to reproductive health care. Her strong and consistent record, chock-full of progressive legislative accomplishments, speaks for itself,” EMILY’s List said in a statement. 

Maloney was first elected to Congress in 1992. – PK

* * *

Colton objects to B82 Select Bus Service

Assemblymember William Colton charged that a plan by MTA to establish a Select Bus Service (SBS) program on theB82 bus line in Brooklyn will hurt local residents.

At a press conference he held on the corner of Kings Highway and West 6th Street Monday morning with residents and transit advocates, Colton (D-Gravesend-parts of Bensonhurst) said senior citizens with limited mobility, small business owners and the disabled would be seriously hurt by the proposed changes in B82 service. 

Under Select Bus Service, buses are used to connect neighborhoods to subway stations and major destinations, according to MTA’s website. SBS features an off-bus fare payment systems; the installation of lanes dedicated to buses, which would take away parking spaces; traffic signal coordination; and longer distances between stops, which would pose issues for senior citizens and disabled residents. 

“This neighborhood does not need SBS. You have a problem that is going to be created and made worse because of the city imposing a solution for a problem that it’s not going to solve, that it is in fact going to make worse,” Colton said. – PK

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Teachout endorses Williams for Lt. Gov. 

Former gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout and leaders of the progressive group New York Communities for Change (NYCC) have endorsed Brooklyn Councilmember Jumaane Williams for lieutenant governor. 

The endorsement took place at a press conference at City hall.

“He doesn’t settle for what’s politically expedient or watered down, he pushes tirelessly for what is right, just and equitable. It is that energy, with a proven track record of results on a whole host of issues, that I know will be an incredible asset for the people of New York in state government,” Teachout said.

Teachout ran against Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary four years ago and surprised many political observers by earning 30 percent of the vote.

“When I ran for statewide office, I met people in every part of our state who were fed up with the status quo, who were calling out for change, who felt that their voices were not being heard and their needs not addressed,” Teachout said. 

Williams (D-Flatbush) is challenging Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary in September. 

“I hope to be not a rubber stamp, not a lieutenant governor for any one governor but the people’s lieutenant governor,” Williams said. – PK

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Carroll responds to Islamophobia

On Tuesday, April 3, Assemblymember Robert Carroll joined a host of constituents and neighbors of all faiths to distribute kufis and head scarves to morning commuters. The event was led by teacher and Muslim activist Debbie Almontaser and her sister Naji at Newkirk Plaza in Flatbush.

Carroll represents Brooklyn’s 44th Assembly District, which includes Borough Park, Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Park Slope, Victorian Flatbush and Windsor Terrace.

“I joined this action in response to a hateful letter that was sent to mosques around Great Britain designating April 3 as ‘Punish a Muslim Day,’” Carroll said.  

“These hateful messages and Islamophobia will not be tolerated in the 44th Assembly District and the wonderful outpouring of support and love from neighbors at Newkirk Plaza was the perfect antidote to the hate that others were trying to spread.”

Carroll is also hosting “Immigration: Know Your Rights” in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and City Councilmember Brad Lander.

The forum is scheduled for Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Prospect Park YMCA at 357 Ninth St. Topics to be discussed include temporary protected status, immigrants’ rights and various services that are available to the community. – JA

* * * 

Brooklyn pols blast census citizenship question

The Trump administration’s plan to include a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. Census isn’t sitting well with several elected officials in Brooklyn.

State Sen. Kevin Parker charged that the plan has “created another barrier that will negatively impact urban, immigrant communities such as the one I represent in Central Brooklyn.”

The citizenship question will exacerbate an existing problem, according to Parker. 

“Communities of color, especially immigrant communities, historically struggle to count all of its residents as distrust in government and fear of deportation makes participation in the decennial enumeration undesirable for many who live there. When immigrant communities are undercounted, we lose out significantly on federal funding for our schools, roads, health care services, housing and as we did in the 2010 Census, we lose elected representation in congress. This is unconscionable and the stakes are too high for our communities to sit by idle in this time of peril,” Parker said in a statement. 

State Sen. Martin Dilan (D-Williamsburg-Bushwick) is also incensed.

“Citizenship serves no statistical purpose in the U.S. Census. The census is a head count. It helps guide health policy, allocate resources, representation and governance. It is dangerous not knowing how many people are in our communities. This one question stands to compound this situation considerably,” Dilan said.

“Think of the census in terms of occupancy. We need to know how many people are in the room. If half are not citizens, is the room at half occupancy? If you wanted to give them enough chairs to sit in, do you give them enough for half to sit? If they got sick, do you treat half?” Dilan added. – PK

* * * 

Malliotakis applauds NYCHA chair resignation

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) has twice called for NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye’s resignation and is happy to hear that Olyatoye is resigning from the post.

“In August, after visiting multiple NYCHA facilities throughout the city, I called the agency the ‘biggest slumlord in the City of New York,’” Malliotakis said.

“Additional revelations since the summer about the failure to properly inspect apartments for lead paint and falsified reports filed with the federal government confirmed my allegations. On two occasions, once in November and again a few weeks ago on the Assembly floor, I called for Shola Olatoye’s resignation,” she added.

Malliotakis visited eight facilities that had reported rodents, roaches, bed bugs, human defecation in hallways, building deterioration, long wait periods for simple repairs and concerns about lack of security.

“The primary complaint from presidents of the various tenant associations was the incompetence and poor management style of NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye,” Malliotakis said. “To add insult to injury, Chairwoman Olatoye lied to both federal officials and City Council members in an apparent cover-up.”

Malliotakis called Olatoye’s actions negligent, unethical and possibly criminal.

“The fact that Mayor [Bill] de Blasio turned a blind eye to her mismanagement of the agency that provides housing for nearly 400,000 residents for this long shows his lack of leadership and disregard for the citizens he represents,” Malliotakis added. – JA

 

 

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