Photo by Síle Moloney
Morgan Evers, who launched her campaign to challenge local Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz on Dec. 7, for his Assembly District 81 seat in the upcoming June primaries, is calling on the seasoned politician who has held the seat for four decades to return a campaign contribution received from prominent New York attorney Brad Karp, after the latest Epstein file disclosures by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reveal emails exchanged between the deceased convicted pedophile and representatives of Karp.
Politico reported that Karp has since resigned. Attached below are some of the copies of the redacted extracts of said disclosed emails. Others, not attached below, refer to calls being arranged between Epstein and Karp and show Karp having meals and exchanging other friendly interactions. They do not show any illegal behavior by Karp or anything to show that he was present for any of the sex trafficking offenses of which Epstein was accused and convicted.
Photo by Síle Moloney
In a statement to the New York Times on Monday, Karp said that he regretted his interactions with Epstein and added that he had “attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets.”
Meanwhile, in her press release, Evers, a teacher and disability activist, said, “Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz must return any and all campaign contributions received from attorney Brad Karp who had to resign when he was discovered to be in the Epstein files. Known associates of one of the most notorious child sex traffickers putting financial support toward our local leaders is disturbing and should not be taken lightly.”
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
In the release, Evers described the assemblyman as a “16-term foreclosure auction attorney,” who she said was elected to the seat in 1994, and who is secretary of the Bronx Democratic Party
The 81st Assembly District encompasses Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Spuyten Dyvil, Van Cortlandt Village, and parts of Norwood, Wakefield and Woodlawn in the Bronx. Evers said Dinowitz received $1,000 to date from Karp, the chairman of corporate law firm Paul Weiss. New York State Campaign Financing records confirm the donation on June 20, 2023.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Norwood News reached out to the assemblyman for comment. Matthew Rey, spokesperson for the assemblyman’s campaign, responded, saying, “Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz has a consistent record based on delivering results and fighting for the North Bronx, and not for silly mudslinging that is beneath voters. Maybe Morgan Evers should spend less time combing through the Epstein files digging for donors to top national Democrats from Barack Obama to Hillary Clinton, and more time actually on issues voters care about.”
The statement continued, “It’s disgusting and sad that Ms. Evers has gotten down in the gutter so early in the campaign, and the North Bronx deserves better.”
According to the Dinowitz campaign, Karp was a donor to dozens of national and State Democrats and [as reported further below] the sole donation to Dinowitz was [at a fundraiser] three years ago. According to the Dinowitz campaign, the idea that there was any information about Karp’s dealings with Epstein until this past week is ludicrous as this was new information.
Also, according to the Dinowitz campaign, refunding money to a questionable donor is also absurd. They said the Dinowitz campaign has chosen, rightly in their view, to [instead] make a contribution in the same amount ($1,000) to a charitable cause i.e. to the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center Changing Futures program.
Former City Comptroller and congressional candidate for NY-10, Brad Lander recently called on any Democrats in receipt of donations from Karp to return them, saying on Thursday, “The latest release of the Epstein files is a chilling reminder of how the wealthy elite are protected while survivors continue to fight for justice. There is no reason anyone named in these allegations should walk free, taunting victims and fueling public distrust.”
“If you accepted money tied to Epstein or his network, return it — full stop,” he added. “As @reprokhanna has said, Congress must act now by questioning everyone named and aggressively pursuing accountability.”
Jin Whang, Evers’ campaign spokesperson, responded to the assemblyman’s comments, saying, “The deflection and doubling down on not returning the money is…telling.” She added that another Democratic Congressman Dan Goldberg (NY-10) has returned the donation he received from Karp.
Meanwhile, Virginia Krompinger, former president of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, said in response to this story, “Jeff Dinowitz is a decent, integral human being. To suggest he is related to Epstein or would do anything remotely related to what he did is despicable.” As above, Evers has not suggested any wrongdoing on the part of the assemblyman; she has called on him to return Karp’s donation.
The 81st assembly district covers some or all of the northwest Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Wakefield, Woodlawn, Riverdale, North Riverdale, Fieldston, Van Cortlandt Village, Mosholu, and Spuyten Duyvil.
Source: NYS Board of Elections
Read more on Evers’ launch here and here.
Source: New York State Board of Elections
Primary Elections Key Dates
The political party affiliation deadline is Saturday, Feb. 14, and if NYC Board of Elections (BOE) gets your enrollment change by Feb. 14, it takes effect immediately. The change of address deadline so you can vote at the correct polling location is Monday, June 8. The voter registration deadline is Saturday, June 13. The mail ballot request deadline (requested online or by mail) is Saturday, June 13. Early voting begins Saturday, June 13.
The in-person mail ballot request deadline is Monday, June 22. The mail ballot postmark deadline is Tuesday, June 23. Primary Election Day is also Tuesday, June 23. Only voters enrolled in a political party can vote in that party’s primary. The mail ballot receipt deadline is Tuesday, June 30, meaning this is the last day by which the Board of Elections can receive your mail ballot and have it counted.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.