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NY rep candidate Tom Suozzi rips GOP rival Mazi Pilip for calling him ‘the godfather of the border crisis’
They’re going to the mattresses in the Long Island special congressional election.
Democratic candidate Tom Suozzi blasted Republican rival Mazi Pilip’s campaign Wednesday for allegedly smearing his Italian-American heritage by invoking the name of an infamous Mafia movie while talking about his handling of migrant issues during his past term in the House of Representatives.
“No amount of political spin can change the fact that Tom Suozzi is the godfather of the border crisis,” Pilip campaign communications director Brian Devine told The Post Tuesday.
The use of the term “godfather” led Suozzi to insist he was no Don Corleone — and join leaders from various Italian-American groups to rip Pilip for using what they saw as a slur against their heritage.
“You can call me a lot of things that are inaccurate . . . Why would you say,`Tom Suozzi is the godfather of the border crisis’? Why would you use that particular expression?,” Suozzi said as he addressed the issue during a zoom press conference, where he received endorsements from gun safety groups.
Several prominent national Italian-American civic leaders then appeared remotely and called the “godfather” comments a negative stereotype of Italian-Americans as mobsters as it cannot be separated from the legendary “Godfather” series of Italian Mafia films.
“We are outraged. When you insult one of us, you insult all of us,” said Rob Fonti of the Italian-American PAC.
“It’s not about political affiliation. It’s about right and wrong. You have our support, Tom,” Fonti said.
Robert Ferrito, president of the Order Sons of Italy Commission on Social Justice, said, “It doesn’t belong in politics. It’s a poor choice of words.”
The groups also released a joint statement that said: “As Italian Americans and Italian American organizations, we condemn this anti-Italian attack and demand that Legislator Pilip apologize and refrain from issuing any other anti-Italian stereotypes in the future.”
The Pilip’s campaign, however, doubled down, suggesting that Suozzi was being a weak Fredo-character when it came to the Feb. 13 special election to fill the open Long Island seat left open by the congressional dismissal of disgraced former Rep. George Santos.
“Tom Suozzi will do anything to try to deflect attention away from his dismal record of working hand-in-hand with Joe Biden to open our borders to illegal and unvetted migrants,” said Pilip campaign manager Aidan Strongreen.
“In Congress, Tom Suozzi voted against legislation that would have made it easier to deport and deny entry to migrants who were suspected members of dangerous gangs. . . In short, Tom Suozzi and Joe Biden are responsible for the migrant crisis.”
Pilip, 44, a two-term Nassau County legislator and mother of seven children, is a Jewish native of Ethiopia native, who emigrated to Israel at the age of 12 to flee civil war and antisemitism and served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before moving to the US with her husband.
Meanwhile, Suozzi was endorsed by gun safety advocates who back more restrictions on obtaining firearms — including Linda Beigel Schulman, the mom of teacher Scott Beigel, killed in the Parkland, Fla. school shooting, the Brady Campaign, Giffords and Moms Demand Action.
Suozzi noted that Pilip is backed by the Conservative Party, which opposes gun restrictions.
But Suozzi is getting support from the Working Families Party, which recommends raising state taxes by $40 billion.
Suozzi said he did not seek the WFP endorsement and is not familiar with the left-leaning party’s work with the Battleground New York Super Pac, which by law he cannot control or influence.
