AOC rallies against Cuomo ‘gerontocracy'
NEW YORK — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ratcheted up the stakes in the New York City mayor's race Saturday night during a rally for contender Zohran Mamdani, framing the contest as a referendum on the future of the Democratic Party nationally.
It is a choice, she said, between the 'gerontocracy' represented by the 67-year-old former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the change represented by Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblymember.
'When I say that this is not just about New York City, but that this is about the United States, I mean that literally because Andrew Cuomo has made clear that if he wins this race, he wants to run for president of the United States,' Ocasio-Cortez, who's 35, said at Mamdani's event in Manhattan.
Cuomo has not publicly said he would run in 2028, but he told POLITICO in May he intends to be a national figure as mayor, organizing Democrats across the country.
'In a world and a nation that is crying to end the gerontocracy of our leadership, that wants to see a new day, that wants to see a new generation ascend, it is unconscionable to send Andrew Cuomo to Gracie Mansion,' she added, referring to New York City's mayoral residence.
Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez endorsed a slate of five candidates in the Democratic primary, making Mamdani her top choice under the city's ranked-choice voting system. On Saturday, she mentioned that Mamdani and Brad Lander had recently cross-endorsed, with both encouraging supporters to rank their respective ally second. During her speech, Ocasio-Cortez also praised two other candidates she has endorsed, Zellnor Myrie and Scott Stringer, but did not mention the candidate she herself ranked second, Adrienne Adams. She also specifically urged voters not to rank Cuomo on the ballot, becoming the highest-profile supporter of the movement dubbed DREAM: 'Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor.'
'Not ranking Andrew Cuomo is the right thing to do in solidarity with survivors of sexual harassment,' she said on stage. Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after a report from Attorney General Letitia James' office determined he sexually harassed 11 women, allegations Cuomo denies.
Cuomo's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday night.
Not ranking Cuomo, Ocasio-Cortez added, 'is the right thing to do to turn the page on the future of a Democratic party that does not continue to repeat the mistakes that have landed us here. We can never get past Donald Trump if we continue to elect the same people and make the same decisions that got us here in the first place.'
More than 2,500 people filled Terminal 5, a concert hall on the west side of Manhattan. The rally capped off the first day of early voting in the June 24 primary. Other speakers included Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen, the leaders of the New York Working Families Party and state Sen. John Liu. The Kid Mero, a media personality from the Bronx, emceed the event.
Mamdani also presented the race as having implications far beyond the parochial concerns of New Yorkers.
'We stand on the verge of a victory that will resonate across the country and the world,' he said from the stage. 'Make no mistake, this victory will be historic, not just because of who I am, a Muslim immigrant and a proud democratic socialist. But for what we will do: make this city affordable for everyone.'
Polling in the race has consistently shown Cuomo in the lead, though Mamdani is within striking distance.
His growing prominence has unleashed a torrent of spending against him, funded largely by business and real estate interests who oppose his lefty politics. After former Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Cuomo and donated $5 million to a super PAC boosting his candidacy, the group started running ads accusing Mamdani of wanting to defund the police and move homeless people into subway stations, POLITICO reported.
Mamdani and his allies urged supporters to volunteer to counter the messaging.
'This election isn't just about the future of our city, it's about the future of our democracy, whether billionaires and massive corporations can simply buy our elections,' he said. 'But we know that this movement is more powerful than their money.'
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Indianapolis Star
15 minutes ago
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Manhunt underway for Vance Luther Boelter in Minnesota lawmakers shooting
Authorities say a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were injured at their homes by a man impersonating law enforcement in what Gov. Tim Walz called a 'politically motivated assassination.' Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Vance Luther Boelter, 57. Officials on Saturday afternoon said they were still searching for Boelter, who was last seen in the Twin Cities area. They considered him armed and dangerous. Earlier on Saturday, authorities said they were searching for a suspect who impersonated law enforcement to gain access to the victims' homes, exchanged gunfire with police and fled on foot outside Minneapolis. Asked by reporters for his reaction to the Minnesota shooting, President Donald Trump replied, "Absolutely terrible. Absolutely terrible, and they're looking for that particular man." He spoke from the White House just before getting into his car for the short trip to the viewing stand for the Army parade. "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!" Trump said. Walz said state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed, and State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times and wounded in 'targeted shootings' in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, two neighboring suburban cities 10 to 20 miles outside Minneapolis. Walz said Hoffman and his wife were out of surgery and officials expected them to survive. Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. (The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a political party exclusive to Minnesota that was formed in 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged.) Hortman was Speaker-Emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Minnesota Republican, said she was devastated by Hortman's loss. "She was respected by everyone at the Capitol as a formidable advocate for her values and her caucus," Demuth said in a statement. "She battled fiercely, but never let it impact the personal bond that we developed serving as caucus leaders." Multiple people had been detained for questioning but no one was in custody as of Saturday evening, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Bruley said the shooter impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that appeared similar to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The shooter knocked on the victims' doors and used the ruse to "manipulate their way into the home," Bruley said. Minnesota 'No Kings': Protests canceled after two lawmakers shot, 1 killed Officials said they were still searching for Vance Luther Boelter, the 57-year-old suspect accused of shooting state lawmakers. Described as a white man who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, Boelter was last seen Saturday morning in Minneapolis, according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In an image shared by law enforcement officials, he was wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, dark-colored long sleeve shirt or coat and carrying a dark bag. Officials suspect he's still in the Twin Cities area, though he may be trying to leave the area. Evans said Boelter should be considered as armed and dangerous and urged members of the public to call 911. It's unclear whether additional people were involved in the shooting, Evans said. An FBI wanted poster shows a photo from one of the attacks that appears to show the gunman was wearing a latex mask. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has officially named Boelter as a suspect in the case, although he is not yet charged with any crime. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Boelter. Boelter is a St. Cloud State University graduate, according to SCSU spokesperson Zach Dwyer. Boelter wrote on his LinkedIn page that he was the CEO of a company called "Red Lion Group" and that he has traveled to Congo and several other countries, but those claims have not been confirmed. Boelter is also listed on a homemade web site of a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services, which lists him as director of security patrols. The website describes him as involved with 'security situations' overseas, including Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The website described him as also having worked for a large oil refining company, a large food company based in Switzerland, and a large convenience retailer brand, based in Japan. None of those jobs or details could be confirmed independently on Saturday. On his LinkedIn profile, Boelter claimed to work as the general manager for a 7-Eleven location in Minneapolis from April 2016 to November 2021; a general manager at Greencore in Shakopee, Minnesota from July 2011 to April 2016; a Del Monte production system manager from April 2008 to July 2011 in Minnesota; an operations leader at Johnsonville Sausage from March 2004 to April 2008; and a supervisor at Gerber from February 1999 to March 2004. Last month he posted on LinkedIn that he was looking to "get back into the U.S. food industry," and that he is "pretty open to positions." 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Planned "No Kings" protests in Minnesota were canceled to adhere with guidance from state officials, according to a statement from the coalition that organized the events. Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today's planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution. Elected officials have described the shootings as a 'politically motivated assassination,' though law enforcement officials were still searching for clues behind the shooter's motives. 'This individual did this to instill fear into our community,' Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston said in a briefing Saturday afternoon. 'But they also wanted to create a distinct and singular point of view.' Inside the suspect's car, police found a 'manifesto,' including a list of other lawmakers, and papers saying 'No Kings,' which officials said was an apparent reference to ongoing protests around the country. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said it was still premature to say what the motive was behind his writings. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said additional police resources have been used to check on the safety of public officials who may be at risk. Other police are actively participating in the search, he said in a Saturday Facebook post. 'Political violence is evil,' Frey said. 'It cannot be tolerated, and neither can those who condone it or make excuses for it.' Minneapolis, the largest city in the state, is located just south of Brooklyn Park and Champlin, where the shootings occurred. St. Paul, located next to Minneapolis, is the state's capital. Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Hoffman, 60, and his wife Yvette have one child and live in Champlin, according to his lawmaker profile. He was first elected in 2012. Hortman and her husband Mark have two children and live in Brooklyn Park, according to her profile. She was elected in 2004. Hortman served the people of Minnesota with compassion and grace, Gov. Tim Walz said. 'Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends, Walz said. "She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.' U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, said she was "heartbroken" by the Hortmans' deaths. "Melissa was a good friend and we started in politics at the same time and were always there for each other. She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion," Klobuchar said in a post to X. "This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy, but we will not allow fear or violence to define who we are or how we move forward. We will stand together, we will stand strong," Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said. 'I cannot emphasize enough that this is not ok. Any type of against elected officials is not ok. Any type of violence against other people is not ok,' nearby Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom said in a post. Officials say the shootings unfolded in the early morning hours Saturday. At about 2 a.m., authorities were called to respond to a report of a shooting in Champlin at Hoffman's home, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at the news conference. The Hoffmans had been shot and wounded and were transported to a hospital, where they underwent surgery. "The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt," Gov. Tim Walz said. While law enforcement was responding at the Hoffman home, police in neighboring Brooklyn Park, who were helping on the scene, decided to proactively check on Hortman, Bruley said. When they arrived at Hortman's home, they saw what appeared to be a police vehicle with lights on and encountered a man dressed as an officer coming out of the home. The suspect shot at the officers, who returned fire, and then the suspect went back into the home and is believed to have fled on foot out a back door, Bruley said. Bruley said the suspect impersonated a police officer, complete with an SUV that is identical to real police vehicles, a vest, outfit and equipment. The suspect knocked on the victims' doors and used the ruse to "manipulate their way into the home," Bruley said. "It was not a real police officer," he said. "No question if they were in this room, you would assume they are a police officer." Hortman and her husband were both shot to death, officials said. Thousands of people were sheltering in place in the area as a massive search for the suspect unfolds, authorities said Saturday morning. Residents should not answer their doors to anyone claiming to be a police officer without first calling 911 to confirm their identity, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said. Officers have been instructed to only approach people in pairs, so a single police officer knocking on someone's door would be a red flag, he said. Gov. Tim Walz said earlier Saturday morning he was briefed on 'targeted shootings' and had activated the State Emergency Operations Center in response. The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued an early morning shelter-in-place alert for a 3-mile radius around the Edinburgh Golf Course, the city of Brooklyn Park said in a post to Facebook. Law enforcement agencies including SWAT teams are conducting grid searches of the area for the suspect on Saturday. "We want to reassure the public that there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk," Jacobson said.
Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
Pardon hopefuls pitch themselves as judicial system victims — just like Trump
President Donald Trump has railed against the judicial system for years. And prospective pardonees, in turn, are modeling themselves after Trump to increase their chances of winning his favor. The bulk of the over 1,500 clemencies the president has issued in his second term have been granted to celebrities, politicians, Trump donors and loyalists — including those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — many of whom have used their platforms to make the case that the judicial system was manipulated against them for political reasons, just like the president himself. After Trump pardoned his longtime supporter and former Virginia sheriff, Scott Jenkins, of conspiracy to commit bribery at the end of May, the Department of Justice pardon attorney, Ed Martin, took to X to make clear the administration's priorities: 'No MAGA left behind.' That spirit appears to have pervaded the administration's pardons process — or at least, the perception of it has. Some people in search of clemency, like former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, have appeared to be angling for a pardon by hooking into Trump's argument about judicial weaponization, arguing that they, too, are victims of the system. Menendez has penned multiple lengthy tracts on X about his victimhood from the weaponization of the Justice Department, and made a thinly veiled plea for clemency in a post shortly after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison at the end of January. 'President Trump is right. This process is political and has been corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores integrity to the system,' Menendez wrote at the time, tagging the president's official account. The New Jersey Democrat has yet to receive Trump's blessing. A lawyer for Menendez did not respond to a request for comment. Menendez isn't the only Democrat who has seemingly cozied up to the president to clinch a pardon. New York Mayor Eric Adams appeared to pounce on the suggestion that Trump was open to granting him a pardon in his now-dismissed federal corruption case earlier this year, even showing up at the president's inauguration after repeatedly saying he was unlikely to attend the event. Adams' decision to pass on New York's Martin Luther King Jr. Day events to show face at Trump's inauguration rankled Black political and religious leaders in his home state, who said the choice indicated the mayor was more interested in a pardon than his constituents. His case was ultimately dismissed — over the objection of attorneys working on it — after Adams signaled he would assist the Trump administration on immigration and national security measures. White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields maintained that the president is wielding his pardon powers 'to right many wrongs,' adding that Trump's actions fall 'within his constitutional authority.' 'President Trump doesn't need lectures from Democrats about his use of pardons,' Fields said in a statement, bashing Joe Biden's pardons of his son and Anthony Fauci, among others. 'President Trump is using his pardon and commutation powers to right many wrongs, acting reasonably and responsibly within his constitutional authority.' Others, like reality TV couple Julie and Todd Chrisley, have had better luck than Menendez. In a case that garnered national attention, Trump at the end of May pardoned the longtime reality stars, who had been convicted of bank and wire fraud in 2022 and sentenced to seven and 12 years in prison. The pardons came after a relentless messaging campaign by their daughter, Savannah, who publicly supported Trump throughout his 2024 presidential campaign and made an appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to speak about the justice system that she said was targeting both her family and Trump. 'We have a two-faced justice system. Just look at what they're doing to President Trump,' she said at the 2024 convention. 'All while, let's face it, Hunter Biden is roaming around free and attending classified meetings.' After their May 28 pardon, the Chrisleys held a press conference where they thanked the president and his administration — and previewed their new TV series. Virginia Tech political science professor Karen Hult, who specializes in the powers of the presidency and the executive branch, said that while issuing pardons in arenas of personal interest to the president isn't necessarily unusual — see Jimmy Carter's pardon of people who evaded the Vietnam War draft — repeatedly circumventing the Justice Department's pardons process, as Trump has done, is a less-than-common occurrence. 'Mr. Trump, especially in his second term, seems to be especially distinctive in really not wanting to use advice from anybody else, but certainly not from career civil servants, especially in the Justice Department,' Hult said, noting that, for the first time in modern history, the president replaced the head of the DOJ's pardon office with a political appointee. Trump's selection of Martin, whose short-lived stint as the U.S. Attorney for D.C. ended after his nomination for the full-time job failed, put a vocal MAGA figure in the traditionally nonpolitical office. Martin has been a staunch defender of people connected with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and fired dozens of prosecutors who pursued riot-related cases during his time as U.S. attorney. In response to a question about the nature of the pardon process and the perception of partisanship surrounding the system, a DOJ spokesperson said the office of the pardon attorney 'administers the executive process, reviews applications for executive clemency submitted to the Department of Justice, and makes recommendations to grant or deny those applications based on the Justice Manual,' adding that 'the Department is committed to timely and carefully reviewing all applications and making recommendations to the President and Pardon Czar that are consistent, unbiased, and uphold the rule of law.' A senior administration official, granted anonymity to speak freely about the pardons process, pushed back on claims that the administration was circumventing the traditional pardons process. The official maintained that the DOJ, Martin and pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson — who herself was the recipient of a 2020 pardon from Trump before he selected her for the role in his second term — review each pardon case individually before making their recommendations to the president. But not everyone is so eager to be spared. Pam Hemphill, who earned the online moniker 'MAGA Granny' for her role in the Capitol riot, was one of the Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by the president on his first day in office. But Hemphill, who has since apologized for the part she played in that day's violence and has spoken out against the president, rejected Trump's pardon, saying she doesn't want to play into Trump's hands. 'I cannot have this happen, because then I'm part of Trump's narrative that the DOJ is weaponized,' Hemphill said in an interview. According to Hemphill, Trump's lengthy list of pardons is part of his broader mission to build a narrative around the existence of the 'deep state' and argue that the DOJ was 'weaponized against him' under the Biden administration. But not all of those pardoned by Trump have obvious ties to the president. Two clemency recipients, Tanner Mansell and John Moore Jr., were pardoned of a 2022 theft conviction after freeing what they believed at the time to be illegally captured sharks from a line off the coast of Florida. Mansell said in an interview he's not sure why the president chose him as a pardon recipient. He said he has never promoted the president online — in fact the professional shark diver avoids publicly talking about politics in order to maintain a neutral business profile that doesn't alienate potential customers. According to Mansell, his legal team did not apply for a pardon. 'I'd love to ask him, like, 'Hey, did you do this because you like sharks?'' Mansell said of the president, adding that it's 'anybody's guess' what actually prompted Trump to pardon him. But whatever the reason, Mansell said he hoped the pardon wasn't 'politically driven.' 'I hope to believe that it wasn't just politically driven on his part,' he said. 'I hope to believe that, you know, he read Cato's article and he saw the injustice in the situation and did it because it was the right thing to do.'
