Nassau Democrats demand Republicans stop mailers accusing them of antisemitism, anti-Americanism

Nassau Democrats sent cease and desist letters to the state Republican Party telling them to stop sending mailers that accuse them of being anti-police and funding antisemitic and anti-American agendas.

The mailers, which Republicans are standing by, use comments from far-left online streamer Hasan Piker and deleted posts from a democratic socialist, as well as images of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. They are being sent against Democrats running for North Hempstead and Hempstead supervisors and two state Assembly races 

One mailer placed a photo of Dean Tarulli, a Democratic candidate running against Republican Paolo Pironi in the Assembly's 15th District covering parts of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, next to the quote, "America deserved 9/11."

"It’s troubling to me that a few days after 9/11 [anniversary], they’re just sending these things to people all over New York," Tarulli told Newsday. "They’re disrespecting the dead."

David Laska, a spokesman for the state Republican Party, which paid for the mailers, told Newsday in an email, "Every claim in our mailers is factual and backed up by citations."

Jason Weingartner, executive director of the New York Republican State Committee, told Newsday, "Mamdani's a Democrat. Mamdani campaigned with Hasan Piker. ... Kathy Hochul supported Mamdani. All these candidates are all the same. ... They're all on the same Democratic team."

The mailer attacking Tarulli cites sources such as "FOX NEWS, 6/26/26." Those citations do not show Tarulli or Mamdani saying anything about 9/11.

Tarulli joined several other Democrats Friday sending letters to demand that Republicans stop distributing the mailers, remove related online ads and issue written retractions to all mailer recipients. Republicans have not.

Other Democrats who sent letters included Sean McCarthy, the Port Washington Police commissioner running for North Hempstead Town supervisor; Joe Scianablo, a Marine veteran and retired NYPD officer running for Hempstead Town supervisor; and Kim Keiserman, a commissioner on the North Hempstead Housing Authority who is running for state Assembly.

One mailer includes an image of Tarulli beside Mamdani. It lists a set of unattributed quotes saying the two Democrats believe "Israel is worse than Hamas," want "no police ever at all" and "wiped their dirty hand on the American flag" in lieu of a napkin.

Tarulli, McCarthy, Scianablo and Keiserman said the claims were false.

The suggestion that America "deserved 9/11” appears to stem from a comment made in 2019 by Piker, who hosted Mamdani on his show last year. Piker later said the comment was inappropriate. Mamdani has called the remarks "reprehensible." Tarulli said he has never met Mamdani or Piker.

The quote about using the American flag as a napkin appears to be a from since-deleted 2019 social media post by New York City democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running in the 13th Congressional District, which includes upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.

Tarulli said he had never heard of Chevalier.

One ad attacking McCarthy said he was "funding an anti-American, antisemitic agenda" and "bankrolling" campaigns to close jails and stop American aid to Israel.

McCarthy, a 33-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, said he has never advocated to close jails or end U.S. support to Israel.

Accusing McCarthy of "financing hatred of his Jewish neighbors, disloyalty to the country he served for more than three decades, and a plan to close jails is not political hyperbole. It is a fabricated charge of fact," his attorney, Jason L. Abelove, of Garden City, wrote in the letter.

His cease and desist letter closes by noting that the position of North Hempstead Town supervisor is powerless to close county jails or control federal foreign aid to Israel.