| | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman | | Presented by |  | | | With Timmy Facciola
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A photo was published this week of Rep. Mike Lawler wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume in college. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | NEW YORK MINUTE: It’s the last day on the Adams administration payroll for Tim Pearson, the highly paid senior adviser with nebulous responsibilities who is beset by numerous investigations. He resigned weeks after the feds seized his cell phone. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Mike Lawler at least twice in the past month has missed or sidestepped opportunities to condemn racist language in public settings, Playbook has learned on the heels of the New York Times’ report that he wore blackface in college. Three weeks ago, at a Westchester County forum on combating antisemitism, he spoke almost immediately after a participant used a racial slur for Black people but did not address the man’s use of the epithet, according to audio reviewed by Playbook. Then last week, the Hudson Valley Republican pivoted to a different topic when far-right talk radio host Sid Rosenberg told him in an interview that Islamophobia and white supremacy do not exist but Black supremacy does. While neither episode is an example of Lawler himself using racist rhetoric, they may shed light on how he reacts in environments where such language or sentiment may go unchallenged. The endangered House member’s conduct has been thrown into sharper relief by the Times report featuring a nearly 20-year-old photo of Lawler dressed as Michael Jackson with his skin darkened by makeup — an image recalling racist minstrel shows and a practice that has plunged other public figures into scandal. The first-termer told the Times that blackface was the “furthest thing” from his mind and apologized to anyone taking offense to the photo. He told CNN late Thursday that his costume was an homage to Jackson. Lawler is locked in a close battle for reelection just north of New York City against former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Black Democrat. Their contest is one of about six in New York that could determine which party controls Congress. A political moderate in a swing district, Lawler’s tenure has been repeatedly tested by some of President Donald Trump’s conduct and rhetoric, and the House member has stood up to his party’s leader in some instances. Lawler recently called on his GOP colleagues to cease spreading baseless rumors about Haitian migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Lawler was part of the Sept. 13 roundtable in Chappaqua where a participant sought to make the case that antisemitism goes unchecked on college campuses, though “if a bunch of white boys wanted to start a Klan membership at Columbia University, set up chants and started chanting, Lynch the …,” it would not be allowed for longer than 30 seconds. After a female participant appeared to agree, Lawler responded by detailing a visit to Columbia, which was home to pro-Palestinian encampments. Lawler was a guest more recently on “Sid & Friends in the Morning” when the host argued, “It’s kind of like Islamophobia, it’s nice to say, but it does not exist. They want to kill Jews, not Muslims. It’s kind of like white supremacy, it doesn’t exist. Blacks, yes, but not white supremacy.” The member of Congress chose not to engage or call Rosenberg out and instead focused on the topic at hand, which was his bill to grant candidates for president the same Secret Service protection as presidents in office. Lawler’s team responded by noting where Jones, his Democratic challenger, has made racially charged remarks. As a House member, Jones accused the GOP of “white supremacist politics.” In 2021, he called ICE a “racist institution.” “Let me get this straight: POLITICO wants our campaign to answer for inappropriate things other people said in Congressman Lawler’s presence, but it is simultaneously unwilling to cover and analyze the dozens of instances where Mondaire Jones himself has personally used racially divisive, slanderous, and hyperbolic rhetoric to attack police, border patrol agents, and people with whom he has political differences?” campaign spokesperson Chris Russell asked. “Thanks, but we’ll pass.” — Emily Ngo HAPPY FRIDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Uber: New York City Uber riders pay $700 Million in taxes and fees annually* That’s more than the entire budget for New York City Parks Department. *Based on trips originating from NYC in 2023. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Making an economic development announcement in East Syracuse. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at an African American Clergy and Elected Officials meeting in Brooklyn and attending Rosh Hashanah services in Manhattan. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “When I go to a nightclub I go to the kitchen and speak to the cooks and bus boys and girls and the waiters. And I want to be around everyday people.” — New York City Mayor Eric Adams in an interview on “El Pacha Oficial.”
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
A year ago, Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyer Vito Pitta said the mayor's team “began the process of returning contributions” to donors who together allegedly gave Eric Ulrich $150,000 in bribes. | Jeff Coltin/POLITICO | NO GIVESIES BACKSIES: It’s been one year since ex-Buildings Department boss Eric Ulrich was indicted, but Mayor Eric Adams has yet to return the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions he received from the eight people connected to Ulrich. In the grand scheme of things — what with the mayor facing a federal indictment — the failure to refund the donations is relatively thin gruel. But it illustrates just one more campaign finance issue hanging over Adams’ head. A year ago, Adams’s lawyer Vito Pitta said the mayor's team “began the process of returning contributions” to donors who together allegedly gave Ulrich $150,000 in bribes in exchange for municipal jobs, health inspections and a discount on a beachfront apartment. Ulrich and his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty. In January 2024, Pitta told the Daily News the refunds were “delayed by the federal inquiry,” referring to the probe into Adams’ ties to Turkey. Pitta told Playbook on Sept. 11 that he did not have enough time to look through his records to check if the refunds were initiated. On Oct. 3, when reached for comment, he again said he did not have enough time to look. Records listed on the Campaign Finance Board’s website do not show any refunds to the parties in question. Michael Mazzio and his two brothers, Salvatore and Angelo, together donated $4,000 to the mayor’s reelection campaign. That has not yet been refunded. The Livreri brothers, Anthony and Joseph, who co-sponsored a high-dollar fundraiser for the mayor in 2021, also have not received a refund for the $2,000 apiece they donated. And the mayor’s campaign still appears to have Mark Caller’s $400, after he hosted a fundraiser for Adams that pulled in more than $47,000, including $15,400 from his relatives (TK FC). Adams’ campaign also hasn’t refunded a donation it received from the daughter of Kagan Gursel, a Turkish hotel owner who personally donated $2,100 to Adams in his name and $2,100 in his daughter’s name with the same credit card. Playbook has withheld her name because of her age, but campaign finance records confirm the money has not been refunded. — Timmy Facciola
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams holds events, rather than spamming inboxes (the perks of incumbency), but a person familiar with his plans said he didn’t have any parties scheduled for Oct. 7. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office | MOMENT OF SILENCE: Monday is the last day of the filing period for city candidates, and anybody who has even dipped a toe in politics would normally get inundated with URGENT fundraising texts and emails asking to PLEASE help. But with the Oct. 7 deadline falling on the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, many candidates are promising silence, and pledging to send their last fundraising appeals the day before instead. Playbook first noticed the note in a fundraising email from mayoral candidate Brad Lander last week. Mayoral challengers Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos, and Scott Stringer also said they were planning to not fundraise on Monday. Adams holds events, rather than spamming inboxes (the perks of incumbency), but a person familiar with his plans said he didn’t have any parties scheduled. Same for comptroller candidates Mark Levine, Jenifer Rajkumar and Justin Brannan, whose emails say he won’t fundraise Monday to “respect the awful significance of this date.” Such political pauses are commonplace, such as candidates halting ads on Sept. 11, but doing so for an attack in Israel underscores the ongoing conflict’s importance in local politics. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Winnie Greco, a mayoral aide under federal investigation, steered Adams’ relations with China for almost a decade. (THE CITY and Documented) — Adams appointee Jesse Hamilton, a former state Senator, also handed over his phone to investigators after being stopped at the airport last week. (POLITICO) — One of ex-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban’s last acts was to reject disciplinary charges for three officers who raided the bar where the owner says he was “extorted” by Caban’s brother. (The Associated Press)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Laura Gillen’s $2.4 million is the latest windfall for Democrats. | Courtesy of the Gillen campaign | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Democratic House candidate Laura Gillen will report another blockbuster fundraising quarter with a haul of more than $2.4 million over the past three months, her campaign told Playbook. Gillen faces GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island in a competitive rematch recently shaken up by reporting that he had an affair and gave the woman — and his fiancée’s daughter — jobs with his office. Gillen, the former Town of Hempstead supervisor, improved on her second quarter fundraising total of $1.9 million, which was triple her first quarter numbers. In the second quarter, Gillen raised nearly $800,000 more than D’Esposito did. “From record-setting fundraising numbers to the largest field effort this district has ever seen — we are building a strong grassroots campaign to defeat Anthony D’Esposito in November,” said Gillen campaign manager Sarah Carlson. D’Esposito did not disclose his fundraising numbers for the third quarter, which must be filed with the Federal Election Commission by mid-month. But several Republicans won last cycle even when Democrats outraised them. “Laura Gillen relies on out-of-state liberal donors to fund her lackluster campaign because Gillen knows Long Islanders don’t support her progressive policies that already failed communities currently under Democratic rule,” responded Matt Capp, a spokesperson for D’Esposito, a former Hempstead Town Council member and retired NYPD detective. Gillen’s $2.4 million is the latest windfall for Democrats, who have been strong fundraisers. In the Hudson Valley, Democratic challenger Josh Riley’s campaign raised $2.8 million while an affiliated committee raised $300,000, as Playbook reported. On eastern Long Island, Democrat John Avlon’s team said it brought $2.5 million “across both of his fundraising committees,” as Playbook reported, saying the overwhelming majority went to his campaign but not yet specified the amount. The campaign of GOP Rep. Nick LaLota said Thursday he had nearly $1.5 million cash on hand but has yet to release his other metrics. — Emily Ngo
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | |  “We cannot stand by as corruption threatens the very foundation of our state,” state Republicans wrote in the email to donors. “It is crucial that we advocate for reform and demand higher standards from those in power.” | Hans Pennink/AP | FUN WITH FUNDRAISING: A fundraising email from the campaign arm of the state Senate Republicans takes advantage of the legal woes that face Mayor Eric Adams — and a nearly 17-year-old clip from his time in Albany. The Senate Republican Campaign Committee on Thursday circulated what’s become an infamous video of Adams calling for a legislative pay raise by quoting the “show me the money” line from “Jerry McGuire.” “We cannot stand by as corruption threatens the very foundation of our state,” the Republicans wrote in the email to donors. “It is crucial that we advocate for reform and demand higher standards from those in power.” Republicans are highly unlikely to win back control of the 63-member chamber this election year, where Democrats hold a supermajority. The Democratic conference, too, has changed significantly since Adams’ tenure in Albany, which ended in 2013. Still, Adams’ rant over the nettlesome legislative pay issue — which caused a stir of its own in 2007 — won’t leave the collective Albany memory anytime soon. — Nick Reisman FEED FIGHT: Powerful social media platforms are trying to shape the regulations being considered by state Attorney General Letitia James’ office for how kids experience life online. At issue is the law signed by Hochul this year that is meant to block social media users under 18 from being exposed to algorithmic-based social media feeds. And as James’ office writes the nuts and bolts provisions for how the measure will be enforced, the tech industry wants to have an impact. The Chamber of Progress, an industry organization that includes tech firms like Google, Apple and Meta, urged James in a letter to take a careful approach with the regulations. Many of the arguments outlined in the letter sent this week to the attorney general reiterate concerns raised when the legislation was being negotiated: Algorithmic feeds can be beneficial to kids, age verification can harm privacy and there are free speech limitations to blocking how people view content online. “Advancing constitutionally-flawed policies will do nothing to help the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” the group wrote in the letter. “Even worse, implementing the SAFE For Kids Act in a way that compromises privacy and core online protections will leave them even worse off.” Supporters of regulating social media view this far differently. They have contended the algorithm and curated content have made social media addictive and can worsen mental health. At the same time, supporters believe First Amendment provisions do not cover how content is delivered. Social media regulation is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement for elected officials, with red states like Florida and California taking action to address the issue in recent months. — Nick Reisman More from the Albany: — Hochul made an appearance at a New Jersey fundraiser to aid Democratic governors. (New Jersey Globe) — The number of local governments that are in a state of “fiscal stress” is growing. (Spectrum News) — Cannabis regulators are considering ways of expanding New Yorkers’ knowledge of the fledgling marijuana industry in the state. (WTEN)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — A new poll seems to be message testing for potential Andrew Cuomo running for mayor or governor. (City & State) — The real estate industry could lend some support to a Cuomo mayoral bid. (Commercial Observer) — The longshoremen’s strike that halted freight traffic at New York’s ports has been paused after the union reached a tentative wage agreement. (Gothamist)
| | | | A message from Uber: Ever thought about what it’s like to drive for Uber in New York?
Uber Drivers earn $32 per hour.* And that’s before incentives and tips
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*Average earnings per online hour from January - July 2024 based on trips originating from NYC
Learn more. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: BerlinRosen account supervisor Luis Perez is now senior communications associate for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso … — Assemblymember Grace Lee has been named a co-chair of the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Hochul Dep Sec Angel Vasquez … Adams deputy chief Paul Persaud … Jeffries adviser Cathy Mitchell Toren … Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin … DCAS’ Ali Rasoulinejad … Norm Pearlstine …NYPR’s Jake Dobkin … NYU Law’s Asher Zlotnik … Steve Capus … Pervaiz Shallwani … AP’s Holly Ramer … ABC’s Santina Leuci … Rachel Siegel … Kristen Askin Rivers … Annu Subramanian ... Rob Shapiro (IS SATURDAY:) WNYC’s Brian Lehrer … Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy … Carl Weisbrod … Stonewall Rebellion Veterans Association’s Willson Lee Henderson … Assemblymember Steven Raga … John Marino … CCRB’s Jonathan Darche … NYC Parks’ Phil Abramson … (IS SUNDAY:) City Council Member Julie Menin … former Rep. Brian Higgins … Patricia Lynch Missed Thursday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
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