A good government coalition dedicated to reforming politics in Mount Vernon has tonight asked New York State Attorney General James to investigate mysterious robocalls that libel honest Mount Vernon citizens and cast a pall on the open Democratic primary election in the city.
“The unidentified calls contain deeply racist and sexist language that attacks the entire community of Mount Vernon, and calls into question the issue of election law in the city,” said the Mount Vernon Forward coalition in a joint statement.
“We believe elements close to certain Mount Vernon candidates may be responsible for these ads. We call on Attorney General James to investigate, and we ask that our Democratic leadership - specifically Mount Vernon Democratic Chairman Reginald Lafayette and Westchester County Democratic Chairwoman Suzanne Berger - immediately denounce these disgusting Republican-style attacks.”
None of the calls reference a legal constituted political committee under New York State law.
“We are running an open and above board campaign for public office,” said the Mount Vernon Forward team in a statement. “We formally request that our opponents in the City Council race condemn these tactics - Janice Duarte, Andre Wallace, Delia Farquharson, Lauren Carter, and Nicole Lucio must stand against base racism and vicious misogyny and join with us in asking Attorney General James to step in.”
The MV Forward slate noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are already investigating similar “intrusive” robocalls in Michigan. Those calls are also being investigated in New York State by Attorney General James, who said she had already sent subpoenas to investigate the source of the intrusion, according to the Washington Post.
“We can never forget that illegal robocalls sent the mob to the U.S. Capitol,” said the Mount Vernon Forward coalition in a statement. “Now we’re seeing the same disgraceful tactics in Mount Vernon. Dark money groups used robocalls to attack American democracy. Now they’re using racism and misogyny in Mount Vernon. This must stop.”
