A top New York Republican accused Attorney General Letitia James of racism toward white people.
“It seems to me she targets white guys quite bit and white Republicans especially,” Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin told The Post. “Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you’re not racist. You can be black and be racist, just like you can be white and be racist.”
McLaughlin, who is white, made the allegation this week during a victory lap interview after being acquitted of corruption charges James brought against him as part of a years-long probe.
The AG accused McLaughlin, 59, of improperly withdrawing $5,000 from a 2017 campaign fund to settle a personal debt. He was charged in December 2021 with grand larceny, which could have landed him in prison for seven years. McLaughlin maintained the payments were perfectly legal and a jury agreed — acquitting McLaughlin after less than an hour of deliberation on Jan. 25.
“It was really a shameful chapter in Tish James’ history,” McLaughlin said, adding he is considering taking legal action against the Attorney General for violating “my civil rights.”
McLaughlin, a former state assemblyman who was elected county executive in 2017, said he was targeted by James for his long and confrontational history with top Democrats in the state. Over the years, he famously sparred with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who McLaughlin once compared to Hitler and Mussolini.
The Rensselaer boss noted with pride his decision to defy Cuomo’s infamous order forcing nursing homes to accept covid-positive patients.
“It was so obviously evil what was happening there,” McLaughlin said. “I have been proven right over and over. You have at least 10,000 dead seniors because of his actions.”
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