A host of Fox TV’s “Good Day New York” Monday morning asked Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino if he was “making any backdoor deals with the Orthodox to stay alive.”
Rosanna Scotto noted the candidate’s campaigning this week in Williamsburg and a previous appearance there on October 11th that caused a controversy over gay rights.
“The last time you met with the Orthodox leaders they handed you a script,” said Scotto. “How important is it to you to get the Orthodox vote to stay alive?” See video here at about the 7:30 mark.
Paladino responded: “There are no backroom deals. These people wanted to meet with us and we told them our message very clearly,” about cutting taxes, imposing term limits, creating jobs and fighting corruption.
Paladino said he regretted using the word “brainwashed” in his speech before a small congregation in Williamsburg that was not written by his campaign. Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who was at the time an advisor in the Orthodox community to the campaign, has said he wrote some of the speech.
When Scotto persisted "Why would you read someone else’s words?" Paladino said "I didn’t know where it came from … that’s campaigning. It’s carelessness. This is my first time doing this."
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