| | | | |  | | By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
| 
The feds subpoenaed Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello at his home church about business dealings with the mayor’s former chief of staff. | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo | A Catholic priest’s flashy style caused tension with the bishop in Brooklyn — and the priest’s deal with pop star Sabrina Carpenter may have kicked off a federal investigation that’s elevating the cloud of scandal around Mayor Eric Adams into the heavenly realm. “The bishop actually despises him,” a Catholic Brooklynite familiar with the players said about Bishop Robert Brennan and Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello. The Irish-American Brennan is “old school” and “a traditionalist,” sources said. The Italian-American Gigantiello wears “a Rolex on his wrist that would knock your eyeballs out,” Curtis Sliwa, a fellow Catholic, told Playbook. The feds subpoenaed Gigantiello at his home church about business dealings with the mayor’s former chief of staff and current political adviser Frank Carone, NBC New York first reported Thursday. Carone helped Gigantiello, a close friend for decades, invest in real estate. Investigators are probing those deals, according to three people familiar with the matter. The feds “have been looking for a number of months,” communicating with lawyers for the Diocese of Brooklyn, and “it’s very serious,” said one of the people familiar. That comes after a diocese spokesperson said Bishop Brennan “initiated a broader administrative review” of Gigantiello at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation parish in Williamsburg. And that started because Gigantiello — host of the annual Giglio Feast — lent out his church for Carpenter’s “Feather” music video, where the singer took the altar to act out her murderous fantasies in a short dress. Church ladies were scandalized, but the bishop could have dealt with it quietly. Instead, he put Gigantiello on blast, and the incident made international news. Adams allies argue that’s what’s happening here. The investigation doesn’t have an immediate apparent connection to the others swirling around City Hall. But this probe made the papers since the feds appear to be pulling on every string that could be tied to Adams. “Obviously, it’s to embarrass,” said Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss and a longtime friend and parishioner of Gigantiello. “If the mayor farts on the next corner, and somebody can complain about smelling it, it would be an accusation against him.” The monsignor and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York did not respond to requests for comment. Carone said the monsignor was a close friend who he admired for his “ability to unite and inspire our community through his work in our faith.” The diocese said it was fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement. — Jeff Coltin IT’S MONDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | A message from Alibaba: American businesses generate big global sales on Alibaba's online marketplace – to the tune of $66B in one year alone. These sales are having a bigger impact on communities back home. New York companies, both large and small, sell to over one billion consumers in China through Alibaba, supporting 18,400 local jobs and contributing $2.3B to the state’s economy. Learn more about how Alibaba positively impacts New York’s economy. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City, making a clean energy announcement with the U.S. Climate Alliance, participating in a Clinton Global Initiative fireside chat on gun violence prevention and then doing a Concordia Summit fireside chat on youth mental health. WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a roundtable discussion with African business leaders, then doing a roundtable discussion with Rep. Ritchie Torres and members of the CUNY Alliance for Inclusion to discuss antisemitism and holding a community conversation in the Bronx. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “BREAKING: Search warrant executed on interim (NYPD) commissioner Tom Donlon’s residence in Manhattan.” — @NYCBikeLanes, an anonymous X account that broke the news before 9 a.m. Saturday, some 14 hours before other news outlets verified it.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Most recently, Hochul shot down talk of her leaving New York for a job in Washington at the annual gathering of the New York State Business Council. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Gov. Kathy Hochul is insistent she’s going to run for reelection. The governor over the last several weeks has signaled she will serve out the remainder of her term — a pledge that comes amid speculation from prominent New York Democrats she could get a job with a potential Harris administration. But Hochul has been eager to swat down those rumors. She first did so on July 2 — even as she acknowledged that 2026, when her term is up, is “a long way off.” “I’m preparing for that race,” Hochul said, adding she is primarily focused on helping Democrats flip the House in November. Most recently, Hochul shot down talk of her leaving New York for a job in Washington at the annual gathering of the New York State Business Council — an organization that has been a key ally for her in Albany. “I'm not going anywhere,” she said. “I'm running in ‘26. I love this job. I've lived in Washington, and I'll keep working on getting that grandbaby moved up to New York, so I don't have any temptation at all.” Having an off-ramp before the 2026 elections — a cycle that New York Democrats are already getting quietly nervous about — could nevertheless be attractive to Hochul. It’s a long way off, yes, but a Democrat in the White House would likely translate to a rough midterm for the party. And Hochul — as her critics inside and outside the Democratic Party will remind you — won by a relatively narrow margin in 2022 against Republican Lee Zeldin. On Thursday, a Siena College poll found former President Donald Trump has a higher favorability rating among New York voters statewide than she does. But before Hochul’s political obituary can be written, there are a few things to keep in mind. Her push to help Democratic House candidates could pay dividends in the near future. The state party’s coordinating campaign announced a combined 11,000 volunteers since July. New York Democrats have also recorded 325,000 door knocks and more than a million phone calls. Democratic officials want this infrastructure to last beyond this election cycle, and it could easily be turned around to help the governor in key suburban communities. And then there’s Hochul’s own quiet determination. In 2018, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to force her off the ticket as lieutenant governor and have her run a long-shot bid for her old House seat, but Hochul sent the message she wasn’t going anywhere. — Nick Reisman
| 
City investigators are probing Sheriff Anthony Miranda and his office, POLITICO reported Friday evening, | Rich Mendez/POLITICO | | | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | WHAT A WEEK: The only people working harder than the feds these days are journalists covering City Hall — and our readers doing their best to keep up with the drumbeat of investigations. Since New York Playbook last published: — Federal investigators seized documents at Donlon’s home Friday, the New York Post reports, and are looking into whether the interim police commissioner took classified documents from national security jobs he held two decades ago. — City investigators are probing Sheriff Anthony Miranda and his office, POLITICO reported Friday evening, and federal investigators from the Eastern District were asking city workers about him last year in a public corruption probe. — Federal investigators subpoenaed Adams’ Asylum Seeker Operations Director Molly Schaeffer on Friday, directing her to testify before a grand jury, the Associated Press reported. She also had to turn over communications with top Adams adviser Tim Pearson, the Daily News reported. Reporters also dug deeper into previously reported probes. More on that below. — Jeff Coltin STARCHASE WARS: The NYPD awarded a $418,067 contract last week to Starchase, the Virginia-based firm that manufactures sticky tracking devices that can be fired at vehicles during traffic stops. The idea behind the gizmo is to obviate the need for high-speed chases that pose a danger to both participants and innocent bystanders. Adams unveiled the technology last year during a Times Square press conference that also featured Digidog, a robotic canine, and the K5 autonomous robot, an egg-like droid that has a new assignment after a decidedly not-autonomous tour patrolling the subways. “To safeguard our modern city in a forward-looking world, it is essential that our officers are equipped with the tools, training and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively,” Adams said during Starchase’s debut in April 2023. The Starchase deal, which was listed in The City Record, had caused concern with civil liberty groups after the pilot was announced. And the city’s Department of Investigation found earlier this year that the NYPD was not adhering to a law requiring that the department disclose details about how new technologies like the Starchase system would be used. — Joe Anuta More from the city: — A security firm founded by convicted Adams donor Dwayne Montgomery and once part-owned by Deputy Mayor Phil Banks received a $154 million contract from NYCHA in January. (New York Times) — Pearson delayed for three months a multimillion-dollar contract to provide caseworkers at migrant shelters, even after it was approved internally. (THE CITY) — Schools Chancellor David Banks never obtained a waiver to meet with vendors who hired his younger brother, Terence, despite a possible conflict of interest. (New York Post) — The Brooklyn bar owner who alleges the former NYPD commissioner’s brother squeezed him for cash in return for better police treatment is meeting with federal prosecutors this week and is providing video evidence. (Daily News)
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  Governor Kathy Hochul has become a booster for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign since the switch at the top of the ticket earlier this summer. | Mary Altaffer/AP | HELP FOR HARRIS: Hochul appeared Sunday at a Manhattan fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris — an event that raised $27 million, according to a Democratic official. In her remarks, Hochul knocked Trump. “Consider the alternative,” she said, according to a recording of the remarks obtained by Playbook. “As I said at the convention, America, you think you're sick and tired of Donald Trump — we’ve been dealing with him for 78 long years.” It’s the latest example of how Hochul, a prominent supporter of President Joe Biden, has become a booster for Harris’ campaign since the switch at the top of the ticket earlier this summer. With a half-dozen New York House seats in play, Harris’ coattails will be vital to Democrats’ chances in the state. — Nick Reisman RATS OFF TO YA: Cuomo on Sunday decried the perception New York is on the decline in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. And, as Cuomo mulls a political comeback for either mayor or governor, he took a swipe at a gnawing issue the Adams administration has pledged to tackle: the city’s rat problem. “More people moved out of our state in the last three years than any other state in the nation,” Cuomo told congregants at the Bedford Central Presbyterian Church. “The only population that is increasing in New York is the rat population.” Cuomo did not mention Adams or Hochul by name during the brief speech. But he continued to hammer at how a combination of crime and the migrant crisis has hurt New York over the last several years — a common theme for the ex-governor during his public appearances. “New Yorkers are smart. You know it. No statistics can change what you see and feel – that we are on the decline and that quality of life is getting worse,” he said. “Things feel out of control.” Cuomo has long favored speaking at predominantly Black churches, and his base in the city remains working-class Black voters. That support could be key if Cuomo mounts another run for office amid the troubles facing Adams. But the address is also a pivot, of sorts, for Cuomo after he was blasted by House Republicans on a subcommittee investigating his administration’s response to the pandemic. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing and blamed Trump-supporting GOP lawmakers for politicizing the controversy surrounding his administration’s order that nursing homes not turn away Covid-positive patients. But it’s a story that continues to hang over the former governor and could complicate a comeback bid. — Nick Reisman KASSAR REELECTED: Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar was reelected this weekend to another four-year term leading the small, but influential organization. Kassar was first elected to the post in 2019. “The New York State Conservative Party has stood for time-tested principles for more than 60 years — common sense, individual, political and economic freedom, and respect for the Constitution — and that advocacy will boldly continue under my leadership,” he said. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — The ever-increasing cost of living in the state is a leading cause of the exodus out of New York. (Newsday) — County governments are still grappling with an influx of migrants more than a year after states of emergency were declared. (Spectrum News) — Replacing New York’s Regents exams with another assessment of student progress is a test for state officials. (LoHud) | | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Esposito’s campaign wouldn’t answer questions about why she crowed about endorsements she hadn’t received. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images | HARDLY KNOW HER: In Alison Esposito’s bid for NY-18, the ex-NYPD commanding officer has spent a lot of airtime flaunting the support she’s received from various police organizations. “We’re endorsed by our county sheriffs. We’re getting all of the law-enforcement endorsement,” Esposito said last week in a Q&A with Hudson Valley 1’s Rokosz Most. But despite her claims, none of the three county sheriffs in Esposito’s Hudson Valley district have endorsed her run for congress. “As sheriff of Dutchess County and everyone’s sheriff, I do not endorse candidates,” Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati told Playbook when reached by phone. Last year, though, Imperati endorsed Republican Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino for reelection. Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa told Playbook he didn’t endorse Esposito either. Just the opposite, in fact: He plans to endorse her opponent, Rep. Pat Ryan. “My budget went up (under Ryan),” Figueroa said. Ryan is enjoying more support from law enforcement than might be expected of an entrenched Democratic incumbent running against a former cop, but the combat veteran turned abortion-rights champion is a rare breed of Democrat. Figueroa added that Ryan secured funding for local law enforcement to attack the root sources of opioids in the Hudson Valley, leading to the largest drug seizure in the county’s history. Esposito’s campaign wouldn’t answer questions about why she crowed about endorsements she hadn’t received, or whether she misspoke in the interview. “The Sheriff in Orange County has been supportive of Alison since we announced our campaign,” Ben Weiner, a spokesperson, told Playbook in a statement. Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta has not publicly endorsed either candidate in the race. He did not respond to requests for comment. — Timmy Facciola BACKED BY THE BLUE: New York City Police Department unions have waded into some of the Empire State’s battleground congressional races that could decide the House majority next term. The Detectives’ Endowment Association, the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, the NYPD Captains’ Endowment Association and the Sergeants Benevolent Association announced their endorsements of former NYPD officer Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island, Staten Island native Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Hudson Valley Republicans Rep. Mike Lawler and Alison Esposito. “As NYPD officers, we firmly believe that our members are safer with you in elected office,” the unions said in the endorsement letter. — Timmy Facciola FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The New York League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Democratic House candidates John Avlon, Mondaire Jones and Josh Riley. All three candidates are running in key swing seats against incumbent Republicans Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler and Marc Molinaro. The influential environmental organization today will roll out a series of endorsements that will also include nods for Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Queens Sen. John Liu. — Nick Reisman GOP BOOST: Long Island Republican House challenger Mike LiPetri has been added to the NRCC’s coveted Young Guns program, which mentors and supports candidates to make them more competitive. LiPetri, a former member of the state Assembly, faces Dem Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is in the DCCC’s defensive Frontline program. Suozzi, who defeated GOP candidate Mazi Pilip in February’s special election to fill the battleground seat vacated by George Santos, is also ramping up his bid. He opened campaign offices in Port Washington and Bayside over the weekend, bringing his office total to five in NY-03. — Emily Ngo | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Border crossings are once again overwhelming a rural upstate community near the Canadian border. (Times Union) — Harris will skip this year’s Al Smith charity dinner scheduled for Oct. 17, breaking with presidential tradition so she can campaign instead in a battleground state. (The Associated Press) — Democratic Albany County District Attorney David Soares is launching a longshot write-in campaign to keep his job as prosecutor — bashing bail reform and other criminal justice reforms. (New York Post)
| | A message from Alibaba: New York companies of all sizes – from family-owned Adirondack Fragrance & Flavor Farm to globally recognized fashion label Diane von Furstenberg – are partnering with Alibaba to reach over one billion international consumers. They’re generating big sales and it’s having an impact back home.
In one year alone, American businesses sold $66 billion worth of products on Alibaba’s online marketplace. These sales not only added $2.3 billion to New York’s economy but also supported 18,400 local jobs and $1.5 billion in wages for New York workers.
Explore how Alibaba benefits local businesses and New York’s economy. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Hertz has hired Lauren Fritts as senior vice president and chief communications officer. She was most recently chief corporate affairs and marketing officer at WeWork. … Office of Cannabis Management Chief Equity Officer Damian Fagon is resigning (Spectrum News) WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Natalie Pahz, a director of communications at CBS News who works on “60 Minutes” and their foreign desk, and Keyvon Pahz, a consultant for FactSet, in early August welcomed Wilhelmina Wallis Pahz. Pic ... Another pic IN MEMORIAM: Veteran sanitation worker Richard Errico died on the job in Queens Saturday after he was crushed by his own garbage truck. (Gothamist) MEDIAWATCH: News editor Josefa Velásquez resigned from Gothamist and WNYC. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Kristen Silverberg … DCAS’ Keith Kerman … BSJ’s Jessica Davos … Sean Spicer … Treasury’s Corey Tellez … Elise Jordan … CNN’s Gregory Wallace … David Harris of the American Jewish Committee … NBC’s Julia Ainsley and Grace Dubay … John Tamny … Abby Glassberg … Armaan Pai … James Howard Fitzgerald … Chinua Green … … (WAS SUNDAY): Aja Worthy-Davis of Hochul’s office… former state Sen. Marty Golden … Jeffrey Goldberg … Amy Chozick … TJ Ducklo … Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... Baruch Yehudah Shemtov ... Ari L. Goldman … CNN’s Jamie Crawford … Ex-Im Bank Chair Reta Jo Lewis … NBC’s Katherine Doyle … CBS’ Kristin Brown … Sandra Smith of Fox News … Edelman’s Kelsey Cohen … Caroline Pope … Jerald Watson … Chris Carlson … Helena Zay ... Toafa Cattell … … (WAS SATURDAY): Pastor Gilford Monrose … Brooklyn BP candidate Khari Edwards … USAID Administrator Samantha Power … Dean Baquet … CNN’s Brianna Keilar … Reuters’ Alexandra Alper … Karey Van Hall … WSJ’s Toula Vlahou … John Celock … NBC News PR’s Dom Donahue … Cheryl Fishbein ... Lisa Keys … Tess Mahoney … Justin Reilly … Mark Watson … (WAS FRIDAY): Lloyd Blankfein ... Lisa Bloom Missed Friday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment