Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / Rep. Espaillat brushes off primary challenge - I've been in this neighborhood for a long time

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Rep. Espaillat brushes off primary challenge - I've been in this neighborhood for a long time · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the takeout. I dread An Espiot as
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  Speaker 1: a Democratic congressman from New York. He's also chaired the
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  Speaker 1: Hispanic Caucus and a pretty fierce critic of President Trump,
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  Speaker 1: has been for quite some time. But he's facing a
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  Speaker 1: primary challenger from the left who doesn't believe he's been
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  Speaker 1: fierce enough. That primary challenger is backed interestingly by New
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  Speaker 1: York's new mayor Zora on Mom Donnie. Earlier, I spoke
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  Speaker 1: with Esbat about the campaign and a few other things.
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  Speaker 1: Take Lissen the primaries Tuesday. I don't need to tell
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  Speaker 1: you that, Congressman, and I'm not going to ask you
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  Speaker 1: if you're going to win, because I know you're going
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  Speaker 1: to tell me you are going to win. Here's what
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  Speaker 1: I do want to ask you. Are you more vulnerable
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  Speaker 1: in this race than you thought you would be? And
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  Speaker 1: is the reason for that? Two issues that historically haven't
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  Speaker 1: divided Democrats but now are dividing Democrats Israel and immigration.
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  Speaker 2: I don't find that I am vulnerable. I've been working
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  Speaker 2: the district for a long time. People know me since
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  Speaker 2: the days that I was president of the thirty four
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  Speaker 2: Priestinct Community Council. I was a member of the community
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  Speaker 2: board there, I became an ASSEEM member of a state senator,
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  Speaker 2: and now I'm a member of Congress, and so I've
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  Speaker 2: been in this neighborhood for a long time. The people
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  Speaker 2: really know me. I think that they will come out
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  Speaker 2: and vote for me. I'm sure what I'm hearing is
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  Speaker 2: positive things. So I'm not concerned. I'm not deterred. I'm
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  Speaker 2: not dismayed by any means.
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  Speaker 1: The conversation in this primary has been about ice, its future.
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  Speaker 1: Who's tougher on it, your opponent or you, And whether
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  Speaker 1: or not you have taken too much money from interest
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  Speaker 1: sympathetic to the state of Israel. How do you respond
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  Speaker 1: to those two issues?
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  Speaker 2: Well, certainly, ICE is a very personal issue to me.
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  Speaker 2: I came from the Dominican Republic as a young boy
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  Speaker 2: on a visitor's visa over state of Visa. I found
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  Speaker 2: myself with no papers, how to go back and get
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  Speaker 2: my green car and then come back with a green car,
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  Speaker 2: become a US citizen, a voter, and now I'm a
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  Speaker 2: member of Congress. What an American story, And so this
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  Speaker 2: is very personal to me. I fight ICE every day,
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  Speaker 2: not just when it's popular, not just when they conduct
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  Speaker 2: the Raid. I've been fighting them since they were the Migra,
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  Speaker 2: and so I know this very well. I took Trump
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  Speaker 2: to court in one Now we're able to inspect detention centers,
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  Speaker 2: exercise our oversize duties as members of Congress. I sue
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  Speaker 2: the irs and we won. And they weren't able to
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  Speaker 2: give confidential information of immigrant taxpayers to ICE. And I
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  Speaker 2: even pushed the airlines around and they had to dismantle
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  Speaker 2: this structure that they had where they were selling passing
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  Speaker 2: your data to ICE. So I've won. I fought the
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  Speaker 2: administration and one I have a plan for Dreamers. I
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  Speaker 2: have a plans for farm workers and keeping families together.
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  Speaker 1: And what about Israel? Your opponent, Durie Lisa Avilia Chevalier
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  Speaker 1: has said you are receiving too much money from those
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  Speaker 1: who support Israel and are therefore compromised in your attitude
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  Speaker 1: toward Israel and its policies.
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  Speaker 2: No one tells me how to vote with my constituents.
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  Speaker 2: That's been my tradition. I support a two state solution.
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  Speaker 2: I support giving robust humanitarian aid to Gaza. I believe
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  Speaker 2: that there shouldn't be any more settlements because they don't
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  Speaker 2: lead to a path to peace. I think that Gaza
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  Speaker 2: should be developed by the Palestinians for the Palestinians. But
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  Speaker 2: the difference between her and I is that I believe
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  Speaker 2: in a two state solution and she doesn't believe in
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  Speaker 2: the existence of Israel. With regards to pack money, I
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  Speaker 2: believe that we should eliminate super packs. But she's just
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  Speaker 2: taken over two million dollars from a rich Texan millionaire
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  Speaker 2: that funded Greg Abbott, the same governor that's sending busload
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  Speaker 2: of immigrants to New York City, that's caging kids and
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  Speaker 2: splitting families up. So she's speaking from both sides of
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  Speaker 2: her mouth. That's what gives politics a bad name.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking of Israel, what is your attitude about Israel in
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  Speaker 1: southern Lebanon and whether or not disagreements with the Trump
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  Speaker 1: administration over that area Southern Lebanon. Israel attacks there against
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  Speaker 1: Hesbolah could unravel this whole peace deal with Iran.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's dangerous. I voted to this about myself
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  Speaker 2: from any action that goes on in Lebanon. We're in
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  Speaker 2: the middle of a war in the Ukraine, We're in
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  Speaker 2: the middle of a war in the Middle East. We're
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  Speaker 2: involved as a country. Unfortunately in Iran. I think that's
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  Speaker 2: an illegal war. We shouldn't be there. We should be
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  Speaker 2: letting diplomacy take his course and resolving this conflict once
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  Speaker 2: and for and in the Middle East. Of course, that
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  Speaker 2: is a two state solutions, which my opponent doesn't believe
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  Speaker 2: on because she doesn't believe in the existence of Israel.
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  Speaker 1: Do you agree with President Trump that israel actions in
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  Speaker 1: southern Lebanon have been excessive and they need to draw
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  Speaker 1: down and get out of there.
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  Speaker 2: I think that the problem in the region has a
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  Speaker 2: first name and the last name, and it's called Benjamin Netanyahu.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's an obstruction to peace. I think that
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  Speaker 2: in many ways that as long as he's around, we
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  Speaker 2: won't have real peace and we must do better.
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  Speaker 1: Very good What your thoughts before you go, since this
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  Speaker 1: is on every New Yorker's mind. The New York Knicks
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  Speaker 1: won the NBA Championship. They had their parade today. Were
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  Speaker 1: you able to make it?
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  Speaker 2: I wasn't able to make it, but I hope to
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: catch up with the cat, the big Bodega Cat, Karl
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  Speaker 2: Anthony Towns. And I tell you I waited fifty three years,
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  Speaker 2: so I feel your pain.
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  Speaker 1: Tell me about Carl Anthony Towns. I know you have
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  Speaker 1: an interesting relationship with him.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we brought Karl Anthony Towns to Dominicans on the Hill.
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  Speaker 2: His mother was from the Dominican the Republican and he
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  Speaker 2: lost many family members including his mom, to Kobe, and
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  Speaker 2: we brought him to have a fireside chat with doctor Fauci.
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  Speaker 2: It was tremendous because he was so emotional about it
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  Speaker 2: and spoke from deep in his heart, and doctor Fauci
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  Speaker 2: had some great things to say about the pandemic. The
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  Speaker 2: funniest part was when they both stood out. Doctor Fauci
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  Speaker 2: was about five to six and he's over seven feet.
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  Speaker 1: That's a contrast for sure. Congress Wan, I appreciate the time, sir,
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  Speaker 1: thank you
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me.