Press Releases: Lazio

NEW WEB VIDEO: Get Out the Vote!

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

Primary Day is Tuesday September 14th and we here at Team Lazio are asking you to remember to get out and vote for Rick Lazio and Greg Edwards for Governor and Lieutenant Governor!

Lazio Slams Cuomo Alliance With Working Families Party

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

New York, NY - Republican and Conservative candidate for Governor Rick Lazio issued the following statement today slamming Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for taking the Working Families Party line:

Rick Lazio said, "Albany insider Andrew Cuomo’s decision to align himself with a fringe group that embodies everything that is wrong with Albany is yet another arrogant decision that will lead to his rejection by voters this November. The Working Families Party is an out-of-touch group that opposes a hard property tax cap, real pension reform, and a spending cap that New York families and businesses desperately need."

A Message from Rick

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

To My Fellow New Yorkers,

Every year on September 11th we pause to reflect on what happened just nine years ago, and remember all who were lost.

When the terrorists attacked that day, we lost so many good and innocent people who are so deeply missed by us all, from the innocent bystanders and workers at the World Trade Center to the all the first responders representing New York’s finest who continued to enter the falling buildings to save lives while making the ultimate sacrifice themselves. So too we cannot forget our brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The courage, commitment and faith of the American people on that day can never be destroyed.

And while buildings were destroyed and precious, innocent lives were lost, their spirit and our beliefs remain. Their memories will endure forever. And while the pain of that loss is still so deeply felt, we will celebrate the lives they lived and everything that right and good about all of our communities and our country.

Today is a day to be proud of who we are. Today we salute our fallen heroes and the men and women still protecting our freedom overseas.

Our thoughts and prayers ware with the fallen today.

May God bless this great State and Nation,

Rick Lazio

NEW WEB VIDEO: How many red flags does Andrew Cuomo need to look into the Ground Zero Mosque?

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

As the Attorney General of New York, it is Andrew Cuomo's responsibility to oversee charities in this state.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's Cordoba Initiative is one of these charities. Why has Andrew Cuomo ignored the numerous red flags that have appeared in connection with Imam Rauf's cohorts?

Why is Andrew Cuomo refusing to do his job?

Lazio: "Cuomo's Refusal to Do His Job is as Offensive as Imam's Suggestion of Terrorist Activity"

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

New York, NY - After two months of a divisive public debate over the Ground Zero Mosque, 70% of New Yorkers surveyed in a new Quinnipiac poll released last week believe Andrew Cuomo should examine the funding streams behind the Cordoba Initiative. This follows two months of a very public debate following Rick Lazio’s letter to Cuomo on July 7th asking the Attorney General as overseer of all registered charities to examine the funding sources behind the Ground Zero Cordoba Mosque:

Rick Lazio said, "Many view the Imam’s comment on CNN last night of terrorist activity in the United States if his Mosque does not get built as a veiled threat. The Imam has invited this conclusion by his numerous offensive comments comparing America unfavorably to al Queda and saying that American policies were an accessory to the crime of September 11th. The Imam’s failure to answer simple questions with simple answers last night does not make him a ‘bridge-builder.’ It is just as outrageous that Andrew Cuomo refuses to do his job and examine all of the funding sources behind this project, from assets used to acquire the land to the Imam’s refusal to rule out taking money Iran for the construction of his $100 project. It’s time for Andrew Cuomo to stop acting like an appeaser and take an accounting of what is going on right under his nose."

Standing with representatives of 9/11 families at a lower Manhattan news conference on July 7th, Rick Lazio pointed to several initial reasons why Cuomo needed to examine the Cordoba Initiative as overseer of charities, not the least of which were the public statements of the Initiative’s leader Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, including:

RED FLAG: IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF’S PUBLIC STATEMENTS:
• In June of 2000, the Imam refused to admit that Hamas is a terrorist organization on WABC radio.
• Two weeks after the attacks of September 11, the Imam stated, “United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.” (60 Minutes – 9/30/0)
• In the same interview the Imam also stated, “In fact, it--in the most direct sense, Osama bin Laden is made in the USA.” (60 Minutes – 9.30.01)
• "Imam Abdul Rauf . . . told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Islamic center will be financed through contributions from Muslims in the US, as well as by donations from Arab and Islamic countries," the newspaper reported. (NY Post, May 25, 2010)
• In interviews with US media, Rauf has insisted funds would be raised here. "We hope to raise it from a combination of gifts from the local Muslim community and perhaps from some combination of bonds or something like that," Rauf told WABC Radio's Aaron Klein in May.

The same day Andrew Cuomo said of the Mosque project:
“I have not heard of any evidence of criminality… and if someone has evidence of criminality they should bring it forward.”

Stated Rick Lazio: “For nearly two months New Yorkers have waited for Andrew Cuomo to look into the finances of the Ground Zero Mosque; waited while he toasted Charlie Rangel, waited while he raised over $9 million of Albany special interest money, and waited while he refused to do his job of protecting New Yorkers.”

Stated Rick Lazio: “Thanks to the enterprising reporters at the New York Post, The Daily News, ABC News, Fox News Channel, Fox 5 Television in New York and CNN we know that in addition to the Imam’s many troubling comments on CNN last night, that also the developers of the Mosque project did not deal in good faith with the Community Board as the real owners of the property to be developed. We have heard contradicting stories about which countries might provide funding for this project, including Iran, and in recent days we have seen the revelation of the criminal backgrounds of the two financers of the project, including assault and Medicaid fraud.”

Lazio went on to point out further evidence of criminality behind the Cordoba Ground Zero Mosque.

RED FLAG: FALSE REPRESENTATION: DEVELOPERS DO NOT OWN ALL OF THE MOSQUE PROPERTY:
• The New York Post reported on August 8, 2010: “One of the two buildings on Park Place is owned by Con Edison, even though Soho Properties told officials and the public that it owns the entire parcel. And any potential sale by Con Ed faces a review by the state Public Service Commission.” (NY Post 9/8/10)

RED FLAG: DEVELPERS NOT RULING OUT MONEY FROM IRAN:
• ABC NEWS reported on August 18, 2010, “Pressed on whether the developers were willing to rule out accepting donations from the governments of Saudi Arabia or Iran, he (Oz Sultan, spokesman for the developers) repeated, ‘I can't comment on that.’" (ABC News, 8/18/2010).

RED FLAG: DEVELOPERS JADED CRMINAL PAST:
• The Daily News reported on August 28 that, “Years before his latest real-estate project ignited an uproar, Sharif El-Gamal racked up at least seven run-ins with the law, including a bust for patronizing a prostitute.” The most recent of which was on September 10, 2005, for and assault on a barber who sublet a Manhattan apartment from El-Gamal's brother, Sammy (The Daily News, 9/25/10).

RED FLAG: DEVELOPER IS A WAITER IN 2002 AND MAKES A SUDDEN PRUCHASE OF A $39 MILLION MANHATTAN PRPORERTY:
• Fox News Channel’s Craig Rivera reported on August 9, 2010: Sharif El-Gamal was a waiter at Serafina Restaurant in 2002. (Geraldo-At-Large, Fox News Channel, 8/9/10).
• The Daily News also reported on August 28, 2010: “If his 2008 cries of poverty were genuine, El-Gamal experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune a year later, scoring a $39 million mortgage to buy a W. 27th St. commercial building. He had a partner, Egyptian-born businessman Hisham Elzanaty, who co-signed the loan. Elzanaty denied to discuss his dealings with El-Gamal.” (The Daily News, 8/25/10).

RED FLAG: EGYPTIAN MONEY MAN BEHIND MOSQUE PROJECT DEFRAUDED STATE MEDICAID PROGRAM AND TERRORIST FUNDER:
• Fox 5 New York discovered Hisham Elzanaty is the Ground Zero Mosque Developer Sharif el-Gamal’s “guarantor” on the Ground Zero Mosque site: Mortgage documents obtained by Fox 5 confirm Elzanaty is the guarantor on a $39 million loan El-Gamal's company used in buying the building. (WNYW-Fox5, 8/25/10,)
• Fox 5 also reported that Elzanaty was “ordered to repay more than $331,000” after “an audit showed that one of his companies was overpaid by Medicaid.” “Elzanaty is the owner of several medical companies run out of a building in the Bronx. East Tremont medical center is a clinic. In the reception area, there is a picture of Elzanaty proudly posing with his staff. But as state records show, Hisham Elzanaty was ordered to repay more than $331,000. An audit showed that one of his companies was overpaid by Medicaid.” (WNYW-Fox5, 8/25/10)
• Fox 5 New York reported on September 2 that Elzanaty gave $6000 to an identified terrorist organization called the Holy Land Foundation. ((WNYW-Fox5, 9/02/10)

RED FLAG: IMAM FEISAL RAUF AGAIN DOES NOT RULE OUT TAKING MONEY FROM IRAN:
• Exchange between CNN Anchor Soledad O’Brien and Imam Rauf on September 9, 2010:
IMAM RAUF (with respect to origins of donations): We will do whatever is absolutely correct and legal and the safe thing to do.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Which means what exactly? I mean, because that's -- that's an extra condition.
IMAM RAUF: You see, I'm the visionary behind it. I'm not the actual builder. I'm not the financial expert. I'm not the legal expert on these things. But I have a vision here of establishing something which I know in my heart of hearts will be a powerful instrument of peace. (CNN, 9/9/2010)

RED FLAG: IMAM’S “DODGY” COMMENTS OF TERRORIST ACTIVTY IF HIS MOSQUE IS NOT BUILT ON THE GROUND ZERO SITE:
• Imam Feisal Rauf’s comments on our “personal security” if we do not build the Mosque at the Ground Zero site on CNN, September 9, 2010: “Our national security, our personal security, is extremely important. And this issue has become, now, a national security issue. And therefore, in our conversations, in our decision making process, we have to weigh many, many factors, and that (location) has been dominant among them.” (Imam Faisal Rauf, CNN, 9/9/10)

Rick Lazio said, “How many more red flags does Andrew Cuomo need to do his job? By neglecting his duty as the chief law enforcement officer of New York, Andrew Cuomo has not only abused the public trust but brought on a divisive public debate which could have been avoided. New Yorkers, 9/11 victims families and the Anti-Defamation League are still awaiting Andrew Cuomo to act.”

MEMORANDUM TO SOLEDAD O�BRIEN

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

MEMORANDUM TO SOLEDAD O’BRIEN c/o CNN
September 8, 2010
FROM: Rick Lazio
RE: Your Live Interview Tonight with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

Let me first thank you for attempting to find out more about the people behind the Ground Zero Mosque than the chief legal officer of the state, Andrew Cuomo. Given the inflammatory comments of Imam Rauf, it would serve the people of New York and America well to get on-the-record responses from the Imam to the following questions:

Why do you refuse to call Hamas a terrorist organization?

Why, in your New York Times op-ed today, do you only refer to the Mosque as a community center?

Why do you equate the killing of women and children by terrorists as morally equivalent to the U.S. defending itself?

Do you regard your business partners Sharif El-Gamal and Hisham Elzanaty as upstanding community leaders given their run-ins with the law including assault charges and Medicaid fraud?

Why have you refused to rule out taking donations for the Cordoba Ground Zero Mosque from Iran and Saudi Arabia for your Cordoba Initiative?

With such a divisive development plan for this Mosque, why do you insist on calling it Cordoba House, given the history of the term “Cordoba?”

Do you support Saudi Arabia’s law barring anyone from taking a Bible into Saudi Arabia?

If you are sensitive to the views of the 9/11 victims families why didn’t you consult with them before you made this very divisive plan?

With over 100 Mosques in New York City why are you and the developers so defiant about this location and refusing to consider alternatives?

Now that you know the vast majority of New Yorkers and Americans oppose your plans to build a Mosque at Ground Zero, do you repudiate your view that Israel should cease to exist?

Can and should Israel remain a Jewish state, despite your comments suggesting that Israel would become an Arab state in your lifetime?

Do you believe in the death penalty for Osama Bin Laden?

Statement of Rick Lazio on the August Unemployment Numbers

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

New York, NY - Republican and Conservative Candidate for Governor Rick Lazio today issued the following statement in reaction to the August unemployment numbers:

Rick Lazio said, "Today’s unchanged unemployment figures underscore the reason why increased government spending with a high tax burden increase unemployment and stifle job growth. In New York we are seeing our jobs, our people and our tax base fleeing to other sates while our taxes continue to grow. Nearly 800,000 are unemployed, and thousands more have given up looking. We need to reduce business taxes and create incentives for economic growth and job creation.The unemployment trends will not change unless the Andrew Cuomo Albany crowd changes. By capping property taxes and bringing down the cost of Medicaid we can foster economic growth in New York again come next January.”

Statement: Lazio, "Speaker Silver owes the people of New York an explanation"

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

New York, NY - Republican and Conservative Candidate for Governor Rick Lazio today issued the following statement after the New York Daily News revealed that Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver has stock in companies with business before the state:

Rick Lazio said, "As an elected public official and keeper of the public trust, Speaker Silver owes the people of New York an explanation for all of his holdings in companies with business before the state as reported in today’s Daily News. The fact that our state disclosure laws are weaker than those of the U.S. Congress is just another example of the long overdue reform needed in Albany; reform that has never happened under Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, Shelly Silver, Alan Hevesi and Andrew Cuomo."

Sheldon Silver's stock shares in 30 companies, including Pepsi and IBM, may be conflict of interest
BY Kenneth Lovett
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
Friday, September 3rd 2010, 4:00 AM
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/03/2010-09-03_silvers_blue_chips_spark_conflict_fear_shelly_keeps_portfolio_secret_as_firms_do.html

ALBANY - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver owns stock in 30 companies with business before the state, the Daily News has learned.

The shares are a potential cash cow - and possible conflict of interest, watchdogs say.

One of those holdings, Pepsi, was a key player in blocking Gov. Paterson's proposed penny-per-ounce sugar tax on soda the past two years - a plan that fetched little serious consideration in the Silver-controlled Assembly.

"It certainly raises concerns," said Susan Lerner of the good-government group Common Cause.

Silver's stake in Pepsi, or any other stock, is a state secret - one protected by New York's notoriously weak disclosure laws. Silver flatly refused to disclose how many
shares he holds - or how much it's worth.

"Like many New Yorkers, the speaker makes investments in individual stocks on the advice of a financial planner," Silver spokeswoman Sisa Moya said. "These
investments have no impact on his legislative decision making."

Moya noted that Silver "championed" a new bottle deposit law over the "vociferous" opposition of Pepsi.

Lawmakers are not required to release how many shares they own or even how much they are worth - beyond noting their value is above $1,000.

"Someone who owns half a million dollars in stock is likely going to be more susceptible to Pepsico's arguments than someone who owns $1,000 in stock," Lerner said.

Lerner called on Silver to fully disclose his financial holdings, particularly since he controls the fate of legislation. "He has the power on his own to clear up
any conflicts," Lerner said.

Pepsi is just the tip of the iceberg. Silver also owns shares of Verizon, which has 95 contracts with the state, and Cisco Systems - which does $1.5 billion in state business.

Silver is not likely to volunteer anything. Critics have been waiting for years for him to disclose the salary he makes moonlighting at a top city law firm.

His counterparts in the Senate, President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and Democratic ConferenceLeader John Sampson (D- Brooklyn) reported few investments. None
seemed to overlap with state business.

Silver has 60 stocks, some owned jointly with his wife, Rosa. Surprisingly, Silver has a stake in Walmart, an arch-enemy to his organized labor supporters.

Silver also owns stock in several top corporations, including AOL, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon Mobil, Ford, General Electric, American Express, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Citigroup, IBM and Oracle Corp.

"It's not surprising that a part-time legislator has stock in blue-chip corporate America, but what the public needs to know is how much the stock is worth," said
Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

"The whole reason for disclosure is for the public to have an informed opinion on potential conflicts of interest. New York's lousy ethics disclosure laws make that
impossible."

klovett@nydailynews.com

LETTER: Follow-Up Letter to Andrew Cuomo Regarding Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

The Honorable Andrew Cuomo
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224-0341

Dear Attorney General Cuomo,

Several weeks ago I wrote to you with my concerns over the backers of a proposed Cordoba Mosque near the hallowed land of Ground Zero. For weeks while I have awaited your response, and for you to do your duty as overseer of the state’s charitable organizations, many aspects about Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf have come to light.

As most New Yorkers may have seen in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Imam Rauf desires the abolishment of the Jewish state of Israel.

On November 27 1977, the Imam wrote, "In a true peace it is impossible that a purely Jewish state of Palestine can endure." Rauf continued, "In a true peace, Israel will, in our lifetimes, become one more Arab country, with a Jewish minority."

Andrew, how much more evidence do you need to understand that this Imam is neither a bridge-builder nor a peacemaker? When will you put in place a system to insure transparency of the Ground Zero Mosque? Are you really in agreement that this Imam is a peaceful person?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Rick Lazio

Lazio announces Saratoga Area Finance Chair

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

New York, NY - Republican and Conservative Candidate for Governor Rick Lazio today named Joe Kakaty as his Saratoga Area Regional Finance Chair. Kakaty is the Chief Marketing Officer for the College Loan Corporation:

Rick Lazio said, "I am excited to have Joe Kakaty join my team as the Saratoga Area Regional Finance Chair. Joe has proven to be a good friend to me as we continue our campaign to reform Albany. I believe that with his help, we will win Saratoga in November and win an overwhelming mandate to fundamentally transform our state government."

Joe Kakaty said, "Rick Lazio represents our greatest opportunity to turn New York around. He is a man of the highest character with the right focus and resolve to fix this great state. I will do everything in my power to help elect him Governor. There are very clear and different choices for New York voters this year. We need new ideas and new leadership for New York, and that's exactly why my support is with Rick Lazio."