Congressman Says NY Lawyer Can't Get Away With Racist Rant
*By Conor White*
The video of a racist rant by a New York lawyer that spread widely on the Internet this week is a shocking example of the impudence of racists and xenophobes, said Representative Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat from New York.
"It's an air of intolerance that is gripping the nation," said Espaillat, who was the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress. "And it's people like this attorney, that think they are above the law, and think that they can do these things and get away with them."
The video shows Aaron Schlossberg, a 42 year old lawyer, berating the employees at a Fresh Kitchen in Midtown Manhattan for speaking to customers in Spanish. Schlossberg also threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
In an interview Thursday on Cheddar, Espaillat said there's no room for such hate in America, and he blamed President Trump for emboldening people like Schlossberg.
"It's very toxic rhetoric that is poisoning the atmosphere," Espaillat said. "And one cannot predict the type of harm that this rhetoric could have across the population."
The Congressman filed a formal grievance against Schlossberg with the New York State Unified Court System, and he said he and his office will welcome whatever the disciplinary committee ultimately decides.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/fighting-hate-in-america).
Former President Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Tuesday to watch the civil fraud trial that threatens to disrupt his real estate empire, renewing his claims that the case is a baseless and politically targeted distraction from his 2024 campaign.
President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support and a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.
The Pentagon has sent “prepare to deploy” orders to about 2,000 U.S. troops to be ready to respond to the Israel-Hamas war, two U.S. officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been announced yet.
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service has taken responsibility for not warning of the bloody Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that killed over 1,400 Israelis.
Republicans rejected Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on a first ballot Tuesday, as an unexpectedly numerous 20 holdouts denied the hard-charging ally of Donald Trump the GOP majority needed to seize the gavel.
The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against Donald Trump in Washington imposed a narrow gag order on him on Monday, barring the Republican former president from making statements targeting prosecutors, possible witnesses and the judge's staff.
A 71-year-old Illinois man accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman was charged with a hate crime Sunday.
