The head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party has accused a former Democratic state lawmaker of engaging in “white supremacy” for discouraging members of the local Asian community from running for office.
But the target, veteran former congressman Peter Abbate, said his accuser and Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Rodnese Bichot Hamelin had divided the Democratic Party with allegations related to the more conservative southern part of the borough, where Republicans have recently made inroads. , claimed he was only helping the Republican Party. election.
Bishot Hamelin recently told the Post that Abate is running for the post of Democratic ward president in the party of Pei “Sonny” Xia Cheng Liu, the wife of slain NYPD police officer Wenjian Liu. He sparked an internal conflict by saying that he had discouraged support.
“I received an email from Mr. Abbat saying, “This is a big mistake,”” the party leader said.
Bichot-Harmelin said Abbate also convinced Jimmy Lee to run for the 49th District Council seat. Abate held the seat for 30 years until losing to Republican Lester Change two years ago, and is now seeking to regain it.
“This kind of white supremacy has to stop,” Bichot-Hermelin said.
City Council member Susan Chuan also accused Abate of verbal abuse at a recent community event.
“I was invited by a local community leader to a pre-Sabbath gathering inside a small business in my hometown of South Brooklyn. Suddenly, former Congressman Peter Abate barged into my home and immediately confronted me. He approached me, invaded my personal space, and began verbally assaulting me,” Qian told the Post.
“I don’t think he would do that to a man or a non-immigrant,” she said. “His sexist, misogynistic and toxic intimidation tactics will not prevent me from fully exercising my democratic rights.”
Mr. Abate denied assaulting Councilman Tsang and dismissed Mr. Bichotte Hamelin’s accusation that he was “obstructing” the Democratic Party in south Brooklyn.
State Sen. Aiwen Chu, the first Asian woman elected to the state Legislature, was the state’s chief of staff before winning the seat, and state Sen. Jimmy Lee was the state’s Democratic district leader. He pointed out that he supports it.
The former lawmaker also said he drafted legislation to increase benefits for Sunny and Wenjian Liu’s daughter Angelina.
Regarding Bichotte-Hermelin’s claims of “white supremacy,” Abbat said, “It’s outrageous that she would say something like that.”
“All she’s doing is dividing the Democratic Party,” he said. “She is a disgrace to the Democratic Party. The best thing she can do is resign.”
He said party leaders were “using” Sunny Liew and other Asians for their own political purposes.
Bichot-Hermelin is no stranger to controversy. This fall, she brought race and class into the city’s immigration crisis, arguing that the borough’s wealthy white neighborhoods aren’t paying for fair shelter.
