Latest news with #Lander
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Mark Levine will reinvest in Israel Bonds as next NYC comptroller — reversing Brad Lander divestment
The leading candidate for Big Apple comptroller says he will reinvest millions of dollars of city pension funds into Israeli bonds — after current Comptroller Brad Lander divested from them. When Lander took office in 2022, the pension funds of city government workers and retirees that he oversees had $39.9 million of assets in Israeli bonds. When the bonds matured, Lander did not reinvest in them, in effect divesting the pension funds from bonds that New York City had invested in since the 1970s. Advertisement Brad Lander did not reinvest in Israeli bonds, despite it being a standard practice by the city since the 1970s Adam Gray for New York Post A campaign rep for Levine — Manhattan's borough president and the Democratic nominee for comptroller and thus likely next comptroller — said his boss will invest in Israel government bonds again if elected. 'We have a globally diversified portfolio, and that should include investments in Israel and Israel Bonds, which have paid solid dividends for 75 years,' Levine had said during the June comptroller primary-race debate with rival and Brooklyn Councilman, Justin Brannan. Advertisement 'We are now the only pension fund in America without that investment,' Levine said at the time. 'I think prudent management for global diversity should include investment in those assets.' Lander was criticized during his mayoral campaign for divesting from Israeli bonds. Foes have noted that he and Israel-bashing socialist buddy Zohran Mamdani cross-endorsed each other in the city's Democratic primary in June — a move that is credited with helping propel the far-left Mamdani well in front of the pack to clinch the party's nomination. Lander recently spelled out his divestment decision in a response letter to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who had ripped the divesting. Advertisement Lander had accused prior comptrollers of investing pension funds from unionized workers in Israeli bonds for political reasons, not for prudent returns. The Big Apple first invested $30 million in State of Israel Bonds in 1974 under former city Comptroller Harrison Goldin through its pension funds for educators. 'We are now the only pension fund in America without that investment,' Mark Levine (pictured) said during June's debate. 'I think prudent management for global diversity should include investment in those assets.' Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images 'The decision to invest only in Israel bonds, when the funds held no other country's bonds, and to invest assets intended for short-term cash management in longer-term bond instruments, was a political decision, not a fiduciary one,' Lander said in his July 13 letter. Advertisement 'The City's pension fund holdings of Israel bonds amounted to $39,947,160 at the time I took office in January 2022. In January 2023, those bonds matured, and our office was faced with the choice of whether or not to purchase new ones. We consulted our guidelines and made the prudent decision to follow them, and therefore not to continue investing in the sovereign debt of just one country.' Lander, who is Jewish and a self-described Zionist, added, 'To summarize: We treat investments in Israel as we treat investments in any other country. No better, and no worse. 'The [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] Movement asks investors to treat Israel worse than other countries; I oppose this effort. You appear to be asking that the City's pension funds treat Israel better than all other countries. That would also be politically motivated, and inconsistent with fiduciary duty.' He then accused Mayor Eric Adams of using the city's divestment of Israeli bonds as a 'cynical ploy' in his desperate re-election campaign. But Lander's predecessor as comptroller, Scott Stringer, said Lander was out of line for claiming that Israeli bonds are not a worthy investment. 'Brad got busted for BDS'ing the pension system. He got caught, and now he has to own up to it,' Stringer told The Post. Stringer said he was infuriated with Lander for claiming Stringer and other prior comptrollers invested in Israeli bonds for political, not sound financial, reasons. Advertisement He said Israeli bonds had always been a sound investment and told Lander to 'f–k off. 'If you get busted, you can't be trusted,' Stringer said. Israeli bonds are considered a solid investment, accumulating about 5% returns on average a year, records show. The New York state pension system, run by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, has more than $360 million invested in the Jewish state.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Smear merchant Brad Lander's lie about Mayor Adams is disgusting, even for him
Sleazy failed mayoral wannabe Brad Lander earned himself the title of absolute worst politician in New York on Wednesday when he suggested, evidence free, that Mayor Eric Adams was an associate of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. The remark came totally out of the blue, with Comptroller Slander — er, Lander — saying Adams' criticism of ICE arrests was a ploy. 'I have heard some people say maybe the mayor is in the Epstein files, and he's just trying to distract,' smirked the ethics-challenged fiscal watchdog. 'I have heard some people say'? Who, Brad? Don't throw the slime if you won't drop the dime. Lander's poo-flinging insinuation that Adams is a pedophile is a new low, even for this morally bankrupt poltroon. Now he disingenuously claims it was just a joke, but that damage is done. In any event, it's unseemly for him to be indulging in blatant electioneering on behalf of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign instead of focusing on his day job — the city's shaky finances — in the hope of winning a spot in a Mamdani administration. And consider Brad Pander's own slimy record: He's carved out a niche as a token Jew whom rank antisemites can rely on to deflect criticism. Any time Jew-haters like, say, Mamdani, activist Linda Sarsour, Council Member Shahana Hanif or principal Debbie Almontaser need a 'Jewish' ally to pull their feet out of their antisemitic mouths, it's Lander to the rescue. While he claims to support Israel, he's strives to be one of its loudest critics, and even divested all city pension funds from Israel Bonds in 2023. As comptroller, he signs off on city payments to nonprofits. Meanwhile, his wife, Meg Barnette, was the CEO of Nonprofit New York, an umbrella and advocacy group for the same nonprofits that need her husband's signature. Convenient, no? He was also eyeball-deep in the Working Families Party's campaign-finance scandal. His longtime chief of staff, Rachel Goodman, was named in a 2015 indictment as a participant in a conspiracy to defraud the Campaign Finance Board. In one of his races for a City Council seat, he self-righteously slammed his opponent for sending his kid to a special-needs private school while he sent his own children to public school. In a city filled with vile politicians (Mamdani himself is a sure contender for Worst-of-All-Time), Lander clearly leads the pack. He's been a smug blot on the city ever since he showed up as a St. Louis-bred carpetbagger soiling Gotham with his smarmy socialism. Now he shows us he's also a dirt merchant. Charmed, we're sure.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander shockingly suggests Mayor Eric Adams is ‘in the Epstein files,' drawing furious response from City Hall: ‘Defamatory filth'
City Comptroller Brad Lander shockingly suggested that Mayor Eric Adams is in government files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein — drawing a furious response from City Hall Thursday. Lander's evidence-free jibe unfolded during an NY1 interview Wednesday evening focused on conditions in 26 Federal Plaza, where advocates have complained about 'inhumane treatment' at an ICE facility. Noting that Adams, who has generally been reticent to criticize President Trump, joined the uproar, Lander appeared to speculate as to why. 'I have heard some people say maybe the mayor is in the Epstein files and he's just trying to distract,' Lander said with a smirk. 4 City Comptroller Brad Lander suggested that Eric Adams is in the Epstein files Thursday. Adam Gray for New York Post 4 An Adams spokeswoman called Lander's comments 'defamatory filth.' William Farrington Lander's out-of-nowhere jibe drew a howl of disbelief from NY1 host Errol Louis. 'If you've got evidence, I'm sure you'll bring it forward,' Louis dared. The stunning non sequitur drew an angry retort from City Hall spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak, who lambasted Lander in harsh terms. 'This defamatory filth is a pathetic comment from a pathetic man and exposes Brad Lander for what he is: a desperate politician whose entire relevance revolves around smearing Mayor Adams,' Mamelak said in a statement. 'The mayor will continue to deliver for New Yorkers and do what he and most people in this city usually do — ignore Brad Lander — but the comptroller should immediately and emphatically apologize to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, whom Brad Lander has no problem re-victimizing and making a punchline.' 4 Government files related to Jeffrey Epstein remain a hot-button issue. vmodica 4 President Trump, a one-time friend of Epstein's, is facing a political firestorm over his administration's decision not to release Epstein files. Getty Images Trump, Republicans and the wider MAGA movement have been in an internal conflict over the release of the 'Epstein files,' a grab-bag term for government records related to the sexual predator. The president, a one-time friend of Epstein, has shocked many of his supporters by dismissing concerns and interest in the case after his Attorney General Pam Bondi decided to limit further disclosures. 'I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is — I really don't,' Trump said of Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Democrats such as Lander, who recently was arrested while vocally protesting masked ICE agents hauling away an immigrant, have seized upon the uproar as a cudgel against Trump. Lander has also been a persistent thorn in Adams' side, mounting a failed bid for the Democratic mayoral nomination and teaming up with socialist Zohran Mamdani, the ultimate winner of the primary and Hizzoner's main opponent in the November general election. When asked for further comment on the Epstein diss, Lander's team brushed off his taunt. 'Obviously, the comptroller was joking,' said a comptroller spokesperson.
Int'l Business Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
'A Trap' - Asylum Seekers Arrested After Attending US Courts
In gloomy corridors outside a Manhattan courtroom, masked agents target and arrest migrants attending mandatory hearings -- part of US President Donald Trump's escalating immigration crackdown. Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport many migrants, has encouraged authorities to be more aggressive as he seeks to hit his widely-reported target of one million deportations annually. Since Trump's return to the White House, Homeland Security agents have adopted the tactic of waiting outside immigration courts nationwide and arresting migrants as they leave at the end of asylum hearings. Missing an immigration court hearing is a crime in some cases and can itself make migrants liable to be deported, leaving many with little choice but to attend and face arrest. Armed agents with shields from different federal agencies loitered outside the court hearings in a tower block in central New York, holding paperwork with photographs of migrants to be targeted, an AFP correspondent saw this week. The agents arrested almost a dozen migrants from different countries in just a few hours on the 12th floor of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building. Brad Lander, a city official who was briefly detained last month by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents as he attempted to accompany a migrant targeted for removal, called the hearings "a trap." "It has the trappings of a judicial hearing, but it's just a trap to have made them come in the first place," he said Wednesday outside the building. Lander recounted several asylum seekers being arrested by immigration officers including Carlos, a Paraguayan man who Lander said had an application pending for asylum under the Convention Against Torture -- as well as a future court date. "The judge carefully instructed him on how to prepare to bring his case to provide additional information about his interactions with the Paraguayan police and make his case under the global convention against torture for why he is entitled to asylum," Lander said. After his hearing, agents "without any identifying information or badges or warrants grabbed Carlos, and then quickly moved him toward the back stairwell," he said. Lander, a Democrat, claimed the agents were threatening and that they pushed to the ground Carlos's sister who had accompanied him to the hearing. The White House said recently that "the brave men and women of ICE are under siege by deranged Democrats -- but undeterred in their mission." "Every day, these heroes put their own lives on the line to get the worst of the worst... off our streets and out of our neighborhoods." Back at the building in lower Manhattan, Lander said that "anyone who comes down here to observe could see... the rule of law is being eroded." Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, Homeland Security agents have adopted the tactic of waiting outside immigration court rooms and arresting migrants as they leave AFP Agents arrested almost a dozen migrants from different countries in just a few hours AFP
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Masked Feds Arrest New York City Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander
Masked federal agents handcuffed and detained yet another Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday, this time in New York City. Brad Lander, a mayoral candidate and New York City's current comptroller, was arrested by federal agents, many of them masked, while accompanying another individual out of an immigration hearing at a courtroom in Lower Manhattan. Lander was released hours later. In video of the arrest that has gone viral, Lander has his arms linked with the man and demands proof that the arresting agents are following the law. 'I would like to see the judicial warrant,' Lander repeatedly says as a gaggle of officers — including ICE agents and other members of federal law enforcement —ushered the pair down a hallway of a federal immigration court building. An officer can be heard saying 'take him in' before Lander is pushed up against the wall by a smaller huddle of men, several of whom do not appear to be wearing regular uniforms, and handcuffed. Lander has been escorting migrants to and from immigration hearings in New York for several weeks now. 'You don't have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,' Lander said as he was cuffed. 'I'm not obstructing, I'm standing right here in the hallway.' Hours later, Lander exited the courthouse in the company of New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. In a statement to reporters following his release, Lander said that the charges against him had been dropped. 'You guys all saw it on video, so you know exactly what happened,' Lander said. 'I certainly did not assault an officer.' 'I'm going to sleep in my bed tonight, safe with my family […] I've got a lawyer. I don't have to worry about my due process rights,' Lander told reporters and the crowd of supporters protesting his arrest. 'At that elevator, I was separated from someone named Edgardo […] Edgardo is in ICE detention, and he's not going to sleep in his bed tonight. So far as I know, he has no lawyer. He has been stripped of his due process rights.' 'So I will be fine, but Edgardo is not going to be fine, and the rule of law is not fine, and our constitutional democracy is not fine,' Lander continued. Governor Hochul, who called the arrest 'bullshit,' earlier this afternoon told gathered protesters that earlier in the day she had been 'walking the streets of little Haiti' to talk to migrant New Yorkers who were 'scared' about their future under the Trump administration's immigration policies. The detention comes in the heat of the primary race for mayor, to be held on June 24. Zohran Mamdani, one of Lander's opponents in the mayoral race, wrote a social media post in solidarity, insisting that Lander's arrest 'is fascism' and that 'all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now.' In a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced that Lander had been 'arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.' She added: 'No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.' Trump's administration has brought similar charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.). The member of Congress was indicted earlier this month after the administration accused her of assaulting an ICE officer after an oversight visit at a New Jersey detention center. The tour of the facility descended into chaos after agents arrested Newark, New Jersey, mayor Ras Baraka on charges of trespassing that were later dropped. McIver denies the accusations against her. Lander's arrest comes just days after FBI agents tackled and handcuffed Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) after he attempted to speak during a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles. In a speech on the Senate floor, which took place only minutes after Lander's arrest, Padilla did not address the detention of the New Yorker. But he recounted that he has yet to be provided a reason for why he was tackled and handcuffed by federal agents. 'If that is what the administration is willing to do to a United States senator for having the authority [sic] to simply ask a question, imagine what they'll do to any American who dares to speak up. If what you saw happen, can happen when the cameras are on, imagine not only what can happen, but what is happening in so many places where there are no cameras,' Padilla said. More from Rolling Stone 'People Have the Right to Be Outraged': Charlamagne on Diddy, Trump, and Cancel Culture Calling Bullshit: The Truth About the NCAA's Alleged Reforms 'There Is No Intel': Trump's Attacks on Iran Were Based on Vibes, Sources Say Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
