A wealthy New York Democrat announced his withdrawal from the Congressional race on Thursday after facing intense backlash over past social media posts concerning child pornography and encounters with a 17-year-old. He maintained that his decision was made out of altruistic motives.
Peter Chatsky, a software executive and deputy mayor of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, was competing in the Democratic primary for the 17th Congressional District against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.
“Today, I’m canceling my campaign,” Chatsky stated.
This decision came just hours before he was slated to join a Democratic debate, where critics could have raised these troubling social media comments.
One of the controversial posts from August 2020 included an email threat he received, threatening to release a video of him watching inappropriate teen pornography and masturbating unless he paid a ransom in Bitcoin.
In a Facebook exchange with a friend, when asked if he had ever viewed porn involving teens, Chatsky replied, “Maybe both. I’m sure it’s neither…but for sure,” eliciting a laughing emoji response from his friend.
A different friend joked in 2016 about giving Chatsky a “17-year-old Lithuanian gymnast” for his birthday, to which he cheekily responded, “The so-called Lithuanian exception applies here.”
Chatsky also made a variety of crude comments, including one where he said, “They basically want me to pay after they watch me masturbate…you know, I get paid when people see me masturbating. That doesn’t make sense.”
Further back, in May 2012, he made inappropriate remarks regarding then-President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, stating, “So is Obama Biden or what?”
After these past posts resurfaced, which were highlighted by screenshots shared with the media, it was revealed that he followed adult content creators and models on various social platforms.
On Bluesky, for instance, he follows Holly Carter, a porn star who markets herself with various adult industry accolades. He also follows Claudia Smith, who has an explicit profile linked to an OnlyFans account.
Despite a lukewarm apology for his past posts, some political opponents, including Tarrytown City Supervisor Effie Phillips Staley and advocacy groups, urged him to step aside.
Chatsky, however, framed his exit as a selfless act for the greater good of the Democratic primary, stating that continuing would divert crucial resources away from defeating his opponent, Mike Lawler.
