Alfonse D'Amato

Al D’Amato went further with his show of support for Vito Fossella than anyone else when he told NY1 that he thought the congressman could run for reelection--and win.

So, does that mean the former Senator would actively campaign for Fossella?

I asked D’Amato’s spokeswoman, Dana Weisberg, who left the door open, but stopped just short of actually saying he would. She emails:  read more »

Forest City Ratner paid former U.S. Senator Al D’Amato’s lobbying firm $400,000 in 2006 and 2007 to lobby federal legislators regarding eminent domain and other issues important to the developer of the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in downtown Brooklyn.

Forest City paid Mr.  read more »

Here's a shot of some of the people biding their time at the Sheraton in midtown as they wait for New York GOP chairman Joe Mondello and most of the state party to announce their endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for President.

Republicans notably, and deliberately, steering clear of today's festivities include Mike Bloomberg, Al D'Amato, George Pataki and former state chair Stephen Minarik aren't particpating.

But who's counting?

Eliot Spitzer formally signaled his support today for building a casino in the Catskills.

Senator Al D'Amato may push for online poker.

The late John Lavelle's Assembly seat may go to his son.

Dan Gerstein agrees with Matt Stoller about the netroots.

Mitt Romney has an explanation for a 1992 vote that angered conservatives.

Can anybody say Senator Bill Clinton? If you missed it, Politico wraps up the Sunday morning talk shows.

And pictured above are most of the candidates in tomorrow's special election for the City Council seat in Brooklyn.

-- Azi Paybarah

8:30 a.m. The board of directors for the city's Economic Development Corp will meet at 110 William Street.

8:30 a.m. Al D'Amato and Carl McCall discuss city and state government at Baruch College.

11 a.m. Sirius Satellite Radio announces they're launching a station dedicated to Frank Sinatra.

Noon. Assembly Democrats convene for a meeting in the capitol.

1:45 p.m. The Assembly will gavel into session.

2 p.m. The state Senate will join the Assembly for a joint session of the legislature.

4:30 p.m. Grandmothers Against the War will hold vigil in Rockefeller Center

6 p.m. Legal scholar Cass Sunstein will talk about the balance between executive power and the Constitution at the New School.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion will host a celebration of Black History Month on Grand Concourse Avenue.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein discusses Children First reforms at community round table forum at 1368 Fulton Street, in Brooklyn.

6:30 p.m. Medical marijuana will be discussed by a panel hosted by the city Bar Association on 44th Street.

-- Azi Paybarah

Al D'Amato may not have the clout he used to.

The American Spectator wonders if John Edwards' game plan for using a win in Iowa to trigger campaign donations will work.

Andrew Cuomo hired Frank Hoare to work in the attorney general's office.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain are the front-runners in New Hampshire. Time magazine thinks John Edwards is "more liberal, more experienced - and more unorthodox" than he was during first presidential bid.

Barack Obama is still vacationing in Hawaii, where he's deciding what to do about 2008.

In newly discovered 9/11 debris found near Ground Zero, workers found "a variety of items like computer parts, office carpet, electrical wires and steel from the building."

The WSJ prepares for complaints about their makeover.

A typo sent a German tourist 13,000 kilometers off course.

And pictured above is an over-the-shoulder view of an artist painting the scene around the corner from City Hall this morning.

Happy New Year!

-- Azi Paybarah

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson is recovering.

The New Jersey legislature voted for civil unions.

Hillary Clinton had an expensive lunch with Al D'Amato and Ed Koch.

On Monday, Hillary will go on the Today show, and on Wednesday she'll be on The View.

Howard Kurtz is intrigued with the thought of Dennis Kucinich running for president again.

"So Kucinich's presence on stage at those cattle-call debates could put pressure on her, especially with Democratic primary voters being more anti-Iraq war than the population as a whole."

John McCain said 15,000 to 30,000 more troops should be sent to Iraq.

George Pataki has his final days in Albany ruined by Sheldon Silver.

Eliot Spitzer may name his top transportation adviser to head the MTA.

And Rep. Sue Kelly, who lost her re-election to John Hall, spent $25.75 per vote.

-- Azi Paybarah

Pete King still contends that his son has never lobbied despite his inclusion in the state commission's lobbying register as an "additional lobbyist" for Al D'Amato's Park Strategies.

"I told you the other day he's not a lobbyist, I still say he has never lobbied," King just told me. "He had no idea he was listed. Al D'Amato had no idea that my son was listed."

The Politicker noted earlier this week that Sean King worked for Park Strategies, which represents several companies with Homeland Security contracts. Congressman King is the Chairman for the House Homeland Security committee. Newsday subsequently noted that one of the companies with such a contract is the computer firm SAP America.

"Apparently when they attained SAP as a client they put down, they listed everyone who could potentially be involved in the dealings," King said. "In an overabundance of caution they put his (Sean's) name. He had no idea he was down there. He has never had any dealing with SAP, he has never lobbied."

King said everyone involved was surprised to hear that Sean King was registered. He called D'Amato, ("he said 'no he is not'") and then his son, ("He said it and I believe him and he certainly has never lobbied for them.")

King said that his son represents the home delivery pizza chain Papa John's in Taiwan and has no role in lobbying for clients with Homeland Security business. The Mejias campaign dug up one of the strangest, Casio-scored pieces of video footage I've seen in an effort to assert that Sean King, who is apparently the speaker in the film clip, does in fact represent companies like Lockheed Martin. But according to the clip, he only mentions them as one of the firm's publicly disclosed clients.

"This is a very desperate act by a very desperate politician," said King. "It is as low as anything I've seen."

Dave Mejias, King's opponent, phoned in to respond.

"What is low is the cultural of corruption in Washington, how family members are able to sell their influence to clients that get access to government and contracts," he said. "Peter is trying to name call to divert attention from the facts. His son is a lobbyist who is peddling his father's influence."

--Jason Horowitz

Homeland security apparently runs in Congressman Peter King's family.

King's son, Sean, started working at former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's Park Strategies lobbying firm in February. The firm represents several clients with multi-billion dollar Homeland Security contracts, such as General Atomics and Lockheed Martin. They have also made campaign contributions to Congressman King.

When asked about his son's activities, Peter King responded with this statement, via his spokesman. "Sean is involved in private oversees development. He has lived in Taiwan, Singapore and Japan - he is not a lobbyist, does no lobbying, and has no dealings with my office whatsoever."

Still, small world.

-- Jason Horowitz

When Al D'Amato was asked about the GOP winning any statewide office, he said, "You would have to be smoking that funny stuff to think that was going to happen."

John McCain blames Bill Clinton for today's problem with North Korea.

At a fundraiser for John Faso, Rudy Giuliani explained how Democrats talk about not raising taxes, and then do just that when they govern.

They say they are not going to raise taxes, and then they say, 'Oh, my God. I just have to.'

John Faso adds his son to the payroll.

Spitzer and Hillary campaigned at the home of a Long Island Republican family.

The New York Sun looks at Spitzer's top ten advisers.

Mike Bloomberg will host his third fund-raiser for Joe Lieberman and then travel to Connecticut later this month to endorse him.

The Sun sees more visions of a Bloomberg's presidential run.

Andrew Cuomo defends his two-debate limit against Jeanine Pirro.

Newsday thinks Alan Hevesi is Cinderella.

-- Azi Paybarah

The city's fathers of yore relived some of the good old days this morning when a remade plaza at Liberty Street and Broadway was christened Zuccotti Park, after John Zuccotti, the 68-year-old co-chairman of Brookfield Properties, which owns the plaza and several other properties nearby, including the World Financial Center.

Look, there's Ed Koch! And Al D'Amato! They were all buddies back in the good old days when Chock Full o' Nuts still had a presence across the street and New York almost went bankrupt. (Zuccotti was chairman of the city planning commission and deputy mayor in the 1970s.)

"I owe him one because when I was running for mayor he was importune to run and had he run, he would have become mayor," Koch said.  read more »

"Ed Koch--I have to say his memory is a little faulty. It comes from his age and his weight," Zuccotti said during his comments.

-Matthew Schuerman

Latest predictable odd couple, if that's not an oxymoron:

Chuck Schumer and Al D'Amato at a 1,000-a-plate fund-raiser at Mort Zuckerman's Fifth Avenue home.

The object is to raise money for Montana Sen. Max Baucus' 2008 re-election bid.

Which is actually what makes it curious. We know D'Amato will endorse a Democrat if the Republican's a loser. But why does he have to help raise money for Democrats in Montana? Or maybe they're just old Hill friends?

D'Amato, Schumer team up for Baucus - UnderTheDome (second item) - Tom McGeveran

The Daily News reports that Roger Green is set to announce his candidacy against Ed Towns in Brooklyn.

The Post reports Stephen Minarik disputes Al D'Amato's praise for Hillary Clinton; and Tom Suozzi declines to team up with Mark Green.

The Times reports on the Yankees stadium approval.

—Nicole Brydson

Al D'Amato gives a statement to Maggie Haberman at the Post:

"I have found Sen. Clinton to be very responsive to the needs of her constituents, whether it is with local governments or individuals.

"Her reputation for working on behalf of her constituents, with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, is well known."

So Al gets to buck the Republican leadership and side with the winner, and Hillary gets a former Whitewater senator to sing her praises. Who loses?

- Tom McGeveran

The Boston Herald writes up a new book on the notorious Bulger brothers, and doesn't think it's good news for the campaign.

" Under Weld's aegis as U.S. attorney, Whitey basically turned the FBI into a wholly owned subsidiary of his Winter Hill Gang. And Weld not only befriended Billy Bulger, he eventually found him a soft landing place at UMass."

And you thought Al D'Amato was unhappy with his days as a prosecutor.

You know that line-item veto that President Bush is pushing at the moment?

Here's what Rudy's press office had to say back in 1998:

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today congratulated Senators Alfonse D'Amato and Daniel Patrick Moynihan on the crucial roles they played in protecting $2.6 billion in Medicaid funding for New York City and State. On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 6-3 margin, struck down as unconstitutional the Line Item Veto Act adopted by Congress in 1996. The decision protects New York City hospitals against a loss of federal Medicaid funds that could have been as great as $2.6 billion.

The Sun's editorial board has more.

Mike's soiree last night for fellow republican Vito Fossella was well attended. About 125 guests at $1,000 a head brought the unchallenged congressman something in the neighborhood of $125,000, bringing his war chest to over $600,000.

Notable guests at the Mayor's East Side townhouse included Bill Weld and Al D'Amato, a possible feud in its own right, but another supporter of Fossella's, Larry Silverstein, also made his way over to Mike's. No word on any conversations between the feuding duos.

Another notable guest making the rounds last night: KT McFarland.

—Nicole Brydson

From Roll Call:

"[Senator Arlen] Specter also created a new category of political joke: the Alfonse D'Amato adultery joke. Specter said he was riding a train once with the former New York GOP Senator. The porter came by asking passengers, "What'll it be, rye, Scotch or bourbon?" A minister on the train was offended, indignantly exclaiming, "Rye, scotch or bourbon?! Why, I'd commit adultery first!"

D'Amato jumped up and yelled after the porter, "Wait, wait! I didn't know that was a choice!"

It must be frustrating these days to work in the abortion rights movement. And they seem to be taking their frustration out on...Alfonse! Naral's Pro-Choice New York's Kelli Conlin had always been bullish on Jeanine Pirro's candidacy for Attorney General (Senate not so much), but this release a couple of days ago kind of took everybody in the race aback:

"NARAL Pro-Choice New York is outraged at former Senator Alfonse D'Amato's ringing support of Staten Island's anti-choice District Attorney Daniel Donovan to enter the race for New York State Attorney General.... We cannot and will not allow an anti-choice zealot to be elected to statewide office in New York."

Since you asked.

Joe Bruno is backing her, The Politicker is told.

The Senate Majority Leader's move makes Al D'Amato the sole anti-Pirro power center, and deals a blow to Dan Donovan's prospects.

(It also gives me the opportunity to point out that you read about Donovan's bid for Attorney General here first.)

On Dicker's show, Bill Weld says of Al D'Amato's vendetta against him: "I don't think it's rational."  read more »

Everything that was implicit in that Times Union story emerged in an astonishing little segment on NY1 just now, in which New York's senior GOP figure, former Senator Alfonse D'Amato, did his best to wreck Bill Weld's bid for Governor.

"Well let's say that Bill Weld is not a favorite of mine," D'Amato began, with little prompting. "And I would support certainly John Faso, who's been in the vineyards and has worked hard, and will not have to explain the multi-million dollar looting of these poor kids down in Tennessee [Kentucky, but never mind] who went to this sham college or sham institution that Weld -- here's this great lawyer, this great justice department official --presided over..."

This really does stem, it seems, from a failed prosecution of Al's brother, which Weld has said he doesn't even remember, and which involved -- of course -- lobbying.

"There was no crime and yet they prosecuted him. I don't have kindly feelings towards [Weld] and I don't think anyone would in my position," is D'Amato's version.

Guy nurses his grudges. And the amount of trouble he can make for Weld in GOP circles is almost unlimited.

(On the other hand, doesn't this bolster Weld's outsider credentials? He isn't exactly running as the heir to the D'Amato-Pataki machine. Yes, it must all be part of his grand plan...)  read more »

Back in reality, the scrap for the GOP nomination looks wide, wide open again.

Don't miss this Albany Times Union story:

"Former U.S. Sen. Alfonse M. D'Amato has made it clear he doesn't like the idea of former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld running on the GOP line for governor of New York this fall and has told at least one of his old donors not to contribute to Weld's campaign, say sources close to the former lawmaker."  read more »

The piece puts Weld in the rather odd position of denying that, while at Justice, he had anything to do with a federal probe of D'Amato's lobbyist brother Armand, a regular at Spitzer fundraisers.

More than 1,300 people showed up at Eliot Spitzer's $5 million fundraiser tonight, but observers of the state's shifting power structure took particular note of one guest: Michael Finnegan.

Finnegan is a Republican and a former top aide to Governor Pataki who now works for JPMorganChase (a firm that does quite a bit of bond work for the state). Equally important, he's a close personal friend of Pataki.

And now, it appears, he's another player in the state power structure moving toward Eliot. (Not the first: that honor goes, perhaps, to Al D'Amato's lobbyist brother, Armand, who showed up at a Spitzer fundraiser this time last year.)

Finnegan and the rest of the crowd heard Eliot strike a slightly more partisan note than usual.

"No party has done so much for so few who need so little," he said of the GOP.

The setting -- a fundraiser full of lobbyists -- generally struck a contrast with the event's righteous tone, which featured pledges from Spitzer's wife and mother that they only plan to vote for him because of what he'll do for New York State. Mom, one thinks, could be forgiven for voting for him just because he's her son. Silda too. But what about Mike Finnegan?  read more »

Mark Green is likely to depart NY1's Inside City Hall, his weekly tangle with Al D'Amato and Ed Koch, sometime next year when his run for Attorney General really gets underway.

Meanwhile, there's a former another former nominee who will be looking for a job.  read more »

At this point, the tangles with Koch could get ugly though.

In the spirit of Andrew Sullivan, we're inaugurating the Brecht Award for ridiculous and/or lame press releases. We hope you'll submit your own favorites as you run across them.

In the meantime, our first nominee is ... Adam Brecht himself, a former Al D'Amato aide challenging Hillary for her Senate seat:

"ADAM BRECHT, U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE, BLASTS SEN. CLINTON FOR PLAYING IN FLORIDA WHILE NEW YORKERS BATTLE SNOW

NEW YORK, January 24, 2005 -- Adam Brecht, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York, criticized Senator Hillary Clinton's decision to spend the weekend in Florida -- first partying at Donald Trump's wedding in Palm Beach, then on to Key West -- while real New Yorkers were socked by a major snowstorm.

We have a snowbird Senator who heads to Florida when the going gets tough in New York," Brecht said. "I guess she doesn't know many of her constituents -- for example, those without heat -- don't have that luxury.

Brecht, 37, spent the weekend in New York, shoveling snow with everyone else."  read more »

We await your nominations for future Brecht Awards!

Shortly after noon on Jan.  read more »

This week in the paper we've got an article about the Manhattan money-men - and women - who've been pouring cash into Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's war chest. You know, the one he's building for his 2006 bid for Governor of New York. Campaign finance reports, released yesterday, show that Spitzer has wrangled nearly $7.9 million from a pack of big-spending Democrats, far out-pacing any possible competitors, including Gov. George Pataki. The Governor, who is still playing coy about his plans for 2006, has a comparatively humble $2.35 million in his campaign account. A hint for readers: keep an eye out for cameo appearances by Karenna Gore Schiff, the Brothers Weinstein, and Al D'Amato's kid brother, Armand, who is one of several Republicans who has ponied up for the Spitzer cause. Also, pay attention to the role of hedge fund managers - i.e., those ultra-wealthy investment cowboys who secretly rule Wall Street. Looks like they dominate Spitzer's fund-raising as well.  read more »

We should have known it: It turns out that Senator Charles Schumer was never really interested in th  read more »

The Dolan family, the dynasty that owns Cablevision and Madison Square Garden, has hired a small arm  read more »

During the memorable Democratic primary for the U.S.  read more »

It is fair to assume that if Robert Torricelli ever faced an opponent who had been severely admonish  read more »

To the list of business executives who pine for the glories of elective office, add the name of 63-y  read more »

Comptroller H.  read more »

Charles Schumer ducked into his usual seat, 11A, next to the emergency exit on a small, partly empty  read more »

Rick Lazio withdrew a folded campaign flyer from his pocket as he sat on a stage alongside the grand  read more »

On Saturday night, August 5, in Southampton, behind the tall hedges of a large white house on Gin La  read more »

Without any primary contests to preoccupy the would-be heirs of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the New Yor  read more »

The hurried replacement of Rudolph Giuliani with Rick Lazio brought a predictable response from New  read more »

Back in August, not long after Governor George Pataki said Mayor Rudolph Giuliani "had earned the ri  read more »

The sudden emergence of representative Rick Lazio as the Republican Party's champion against Hillary  read more »

Now that Hillary Rodham Clinton has declared her candidacy, voters can expect substantive discussion  read more »

It's official: The U.S. Senate has a new poster boy for bad behavior. It's Senator Robert G.  read more »

Representative Rick Lazio made sure he was very deferential when he visited Mayor Rudolph Giuliani i  read more »

Remember Jonathan Bush?  read more »

The light from Alex and Marine Zagoreos' Gramercy Park mansion cascaded over the balustrade and onto  read more »

The renaissance of Alfonse D'Amato should inspire every politician who senses the approach of the la  read more »

Marcia Kramer, the veteran political reporter for WCBS-TV, was reading from a letter at a press conf  read more »

Once again, we have a spectacle of three decent candidates in one ring, trying to knock each other o  read more »

Trump!Representative Jerrold Nadler may or may not have snarled his archenemy's surname as he snappe  read more »