US Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s campaign has slapped a super PAC bankrolling a trio of far-left congressional candidates with a “cease and desist” letter demanding it halt a “false” ad campaign that “misrepresents” the five-term congressman’s record, The Post has learned.
Stanley K. Schlein, the congressman’s campaign lawyer, fired off a letter to reps of American Priority PAC threatening a lawsuit unless it pulls a recent TV ad containing “factual inaccuracies” about Espaillat’s record on Capitol Hill to help promote insurgent socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
“Warning to New Yorkers: this is a public service announcement,” the 30-second ad says. “Your representative, Adriano Espaillat, is cooperating with ICE. Voted to fund them to the tune of $7.6 billion. Said he trusted Donald Trump to do the right thing.
“This is a public service announcement. Vote Darializa to fight ICE, to fight for our families.”
The lawyer’s letter — which was sent Monday and also copied and delivered to the Federal Election Commission and the New York Board of Elections — rips the ad for claiming to be a “public service announcement” when it’s really a “paid political communication produced and distributed by a political action committee for the purpose of influencing an election.”
The letter also charges that the ad “fabricated” a quote it claimed came from a March report in The Intercept and falsely claimed Espaillat “cooperated” with and voted to fund the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
“The advertisement creates a materially false and misleading impression of his record,” Schlein wrote.
“At a minimum, viewers are led to believe that Congressman Espaillat voted in favor of the legislation ultimately cited as evidence that he ‘funded ICE’ when, in fact, he voted against its final passage.
“We hereby demand that you forthwith CEASE and DESIST such advertisement that perpetrate this false, misleading and corrupt messages or risk further legal action that will be taken against American Priorities PAC and those individuals that have authorized and facilitated their publicly disseminated statements,” wrote the lawyer.
American Priority PAC’s top backers include Hussein “Sam” Mahrouq, a pro-Palestinian businessman.
The super PAC announced earlier this month it plans to drop $2 million on TV, streaming and digital ads to boost Avila Chevalier and two other far-left congressional candidates backed by socialist Mayor Mamdani: Queens Assemblywoman Claire Valdez and ex-city Comptroller Brad Lander.
Avila Chevalier — who is challenging Espaillat in the primary for the 13th Congressional District that includes parts of northern Manhattan and the West Bronx — has faced furious backlash over a series of vile, since-deleted social media posts uncovered over the past few months.
It includes ones calling the US “a f–ing disgrace,” trashing cops and accusing veterans of committing “war crimes.”
American Priority PAC reps did not immediately return messages.
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