A shady showdown is brewing in Queens, where state Sen. James Sanders has filed paperwork to challenge Rep. Gregory Meeks for his congressional seat.
Both Democrats have faced questions over their ethics.
Sanders, 58, has been under scrutiny for steering millions of taxpayer dollars to dozens of Queens organizations to which he has ties.
And Meeks, 62, has been probed for his ties to a Queens nonprofit that stiffed Hurricane Katrina victims and for failing to disclose his receipt of a personal loan.
Some Queens Democratic leaders regard Meeks as the lesser of two evils.
“We’re better off with Greg than James,” one county loyalist said. “This is a guy we can work with, and we’re looking for a way to kill James off and put in someone strong for Senate.”
Queens County leaders will try to discourage Sanders from running, one Democratic insider said.
“They will sit him down and say, ‘Look, this is not for you,’ ” the insider said. “They use a combination of guilt and persuasion. ‘You can be our friend or our enemy.’ ”
If Sanders loses the June 28 primary, he could still petition to run for his state Senate seat on Sept. 13.
In 2010, the FBI quizzed Meeks over New Direction Local Development Corp., a Queens charity he co-founded with disgraced ex-Sen. Malcolm Smith in 2001.
It had solicited thousands of dollars in donations for Katrina victims in 2005, but gave them virtually nothing. Meeks denied responsibility.
The House Ethics Committee probed his failure to disclose $40,000 given to him by fraudster Queens businessman Edul Ahmad in 2007. Meeks claimed he lost the “loan” paperwork.
As a councilman, Sanders steered nearly $3 million in council cash from 2003 to 2008 to dozens of groups in his district, which the FBI is reportedly examining.
Sanders, who filed papers Dec. 2, said he is running to “make more of an impact.”
Meeks replied sarcastically, “The beauty of American democracy is that anyone can run for office.”