Dem Rep. Eliot Engel on hot mic: ‘If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care’ about protests

Dem Rep. Eliot Engel on hot mic: ‘If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care’ about protests
Eliot Engel (Image: YouTube screen grab)

By Peter Hasson

Democratic New York Rep. Eliot Engel was caught on a hot mic Tuesday appearing to admit that the only reason he was willing to speak at a press conference on the George Floyd protests was because he has a primary opponent.

Local officials held a press conference Tuesday after rioters and looters ransacked New York City on Monday night.

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The press conference livestream appears to show Engel asking to speak at the event before telling a local official: “If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. asked Engel to repeat himself, and the congressman obliged. “If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care,” Engel repeated.

“Don’t do that to me,” Diaz responded.

Watch:

Neither Engel or Diaz Jr.’s offices immediately returned requests for comment. (RELATED: NY Gov Andrew Cuomo Uses Cooked Numbers To Defend Record On Nursing Homes

New York City saw another night of violence and looting on Monday night, as the country saw its seventh straight night of unrest following Floyd’s death.

The 46-year-old black man died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, despite Floyd saying he couldn’t breath, a video showed. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

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