NEW YORK – Today, Tali Farhadian Weinstein, candidate for Manhattan district attorney, announced the endorsement of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY-7) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13).
“Tali is the person we need in this job at this critical moment of reckoning and recovery in our city. She is the only candidate with experience bringing criminal justice reform to life,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “From keeping ICE out of courtrooms and reducing the Brooklyn DA’s footprint in communities of color, to her deep commitments to fair play and protecting every New Yorker regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or immigration status, I know Tali will be a historic district attorney and I am delighted to endorse her.”
Congresswoman Velázquez is currently serving her fourteenth term and, in 1992, became the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the US House of Representatives. She is the Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, a senior member of the Financial Services Committee and a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Velázquez represents the only tri-borough district in the New York City congressional delegation, including the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
“Tali has long been a champion for New York’s most vulnerable. We both know the struggles of being an immigrant trying to find hope in a new country. At a time when the criminal justice system is failing so many, New York needs an experienced, compassionate and empathetic district attorney who can deliver justice for all,” said Congressman Espaillat. “Tali knows that the recovery and prosperity of our city depend on safety. Her plan to combat racially motivated crimes against Asian New Yorkers is imperative to strengthening these communities’ trust. Tali’s record of advancing fairness and equity is why I know that under her leadership every person, especially those in our immigrant communities, will have their rights protected.”
Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the first Dominican-American and first formerly undocumented person ever elected to the US House of Representatives, represents Manhattan neighborhoods Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights. First elected to Congress in 2016, Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and serves in a leadership role as CHC Whip. He is also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus and Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“Congressman Espaillat and Congresswoman Velázquez represent the best of our country – both lifelong public servants, who work to deliver justice and opportunity for New York families,” said Tali Farhadian Weinstein. “At a time when our immigrant communities are constantly under attack, their voices are critical to the conversation surrounding criminal justice reforms and protections for New York’s most vulnerable. I am thankful for their support and humbled by their endorsement.”
In January, Tali also received the endorsement of Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), the first openly LGBTQ elected official to represent The Bronx and the first openly-gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress.
“Tali’s north star has always been to protect vulnerable communities, a commitment I admire in her and have strived toward myself since first elected to the City Council. We have both tried to use our power and position across our careers to fight for equal access to justice and opportunity,” said Congressman Torres. “I’m inspired by her leadership in Brooklyn, where she led the design of the nation’s first Post-Conviction Justice Bureau and implemented other productive and effective criminal justice reforms, and I look forward to her bringing her leadership and experiences to Manhattan. I am excited to see a woman and an immigrant serve as Manhattan’s top prosecutor and to set the national example there, and I enthusiastically endorse Tali Farhadian Weinstein for Manhattan District Attorney.”
An experienced prosecutor, Tali is the former General Counsel to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonazlez, and during the Obama Administration she served as Counsel to former US Attorney General Eric Holder and as an Assistant US District Attorney for the Eastern District under then-US Attorney Loretta Lynch.
Tali also is endorsed by US Attorney General Eric Holder, former NAACP President Ben Jealous, esteemed First Amendment lawyer Victor Kovner, former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, and Jackie Rowe-Adams, co-founder of Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E.
If elected, Tali would be the first woman and first immigrant to serve as Manhattan district attorney. To learn more about Tali’s campaign, visit www.TaliForDA.com.
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