Constantino tosses out unfounded `Nazi' allegation
Important misinformation training to be held at Crandall library on July 27
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On July 5, Anthony Constantino texted me a “Happy Independence Day” and assured me, “I only want to win the election to be able to effect positive change that makes people’s lives better.”
He hoped we could talk more in the future when we both have time.
Last week, The Associated Press reported that 15,500 New York residents had lost their health care coverage under the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
So I texted Anthony and asked how he would effect positive change on the people who lost health care.
He never answered me.
I guess he didn’t have time.
We had been texting on and off since April when I did an hourlong interview with Constantino. At one point, he said he enjoyed some of my writing even though he disagreed with it.
In an April 11 post, Constantino wrote to me:
“My first boss taught me to be tough but fair. Believe it or not, the earlier critique of me in business was I was too kind and needed to be tougher.
“My next critique was that I am impatient but I learned that’s a necessary character attribute if you want to achieve anything difficult.
“I intend to keep my character and ethics intact as I enter politics or there’s really no point.”
That is something few politicians have been able to do in recent years, so that promise by Constantino was encouraging.
I have found the Republican candidate to be alternately charming and alarming over the past couple of months. He may even have the best intentions - unlike his idol President Trump - but he is clearly out of his depth in terms of understanding the issues and how to effect change in the 21st Congressional District.
I sense that Constantino loves the politics, the brawling, the arguing, but that won’t make him a good representative.
A week ago, I got this text message - not from Anthony - but from his campaign:
ALERT: POLITICO is reporting Blake Gendebien’s campaign is being run by the same DC consultants running alleged rapist and Nazi-sympathizer Graham Platner: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook-pm/2026/07/08/gop-attacks-gendebien-campaign-ties-00990826 It’s all documented on www.BlakeExposed.com, and we promise, it’s worse than you can imagine.
The use of the word “Nazi” in association with a political opponent should never be taken lightly by any serious candidate.
I don’t think I have to explain why.
But the Constantino campaign did not seem too worried about that.
The backstory is that Platner, the former Maine Senate candidate, was characterized as a Nazi early in his campaign for having a “Totenkopf” - a skull and crossbones emblem historically used by the Nazi SS - tattooed on his chest in 2007.
Certainly, not a good look for any candidate.
Platner explained he got it while drunk one night while serving in the Marines and was unaware of its history. Still, not a good look for any candidate.
But the Constantino campaign text promised it was “worse than you can imagine.”
It turns out to be just the opposite.
Nick Reisman, who previously worked for The Post-Star and Spectrum News before becoming the Albany bureau chief for Politico, wrote the story that Gendebien’s campaign had paid nearly $90,000 to Spruce Street Compliance for compliance work, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Platner’s campaign had also used Spruce Street Compliance.
But that doesn’t make either one of them a Nazi.
Reisman explained: “FEC records also show Platner and Gendebien share national Democratic donors. It’s not uncommon for Democratic campaigns to hire the same firms for specialized work like regulatory compliance or fundraising services.”
I suspect many Republican candidates do the same thing, including Constantino.
But because Gendebien’s campaign used the same fundraiser as Platner’s campaign, that made him a Nazi.
I don’t follow.
Constantino is now taking advice from Elise Stefanik’s hatchet man Alex deGrasse, and this looked like it might be his handiwork.
So on Sunday, I texted Anthony and asked if he really believed Gendebien is a Nazi as his campaign suggested? I then asked him why he allowed his campaign to portray him that way. “I’d really love to hear your justification for this,” I texted.
I didn’t hear back.
He must have been too busy.
I haven’t heard from Anthony since that July 5 text wishing me a happy Independence Day.
I suspect Anthony Constantino now has “handlers” who will convince him who to talk to and when and avoid unsavory characters like me who might ask him questions about things that matter to the voters.
His silence also might have something to do with the Gendebien-commissioned poll that showed him just one point behind Constantino. If accurate, that is shocking in this Republican-leaning district.
Back on April 11, Constantino texted me: “I intend to keep my character and ethics intact as I enter politics or there’s really no point.”
Calling his opponent a Nazi means Constantino has already abandoned any pretext of maintaining his character and ethics.
Will feedback
My colleague Will Doolittle got some interesting feedback from a reader after writing about the dramatic differences between congressional candidates Blake Gendebien and Anthony Constantino.
Constantino is the Trump-idolizing businessman who once boxed professionally and did a rap album to celebrate Donald Trump.
Gendebien is a farmer who served on his local school board and coaches a little basketball. Kind of boring.
But one comment on Will’s column got my attention. Here is what it said:
Well, Will what about better than decent. Two stories. Blake Gendebien will NOT be the one to tell them. Story one, my wife is running for St. Lawrence County Legislature. One day while campaigning in the backwoods of Pierrepont she talked to a young man. When Blake’s name came up, he shared that he had worked for Blake. When the man and his wife had a baby the newborn had serious health concerns and the young family spent the better par of a year dealing with the baby’s medical issues. Even though the young man was not at work, Blake paid the young man the whole time he was away from work. Story #2 Another dairy farmer in Canton had his combine break down at the height of the season, and put out word to 19 other farmers for assistance getting his crop in. Only one farmer answered the call. Blake Gemdebien sent a combine and a hired man to aid the fellow farmer. Voters may hear these stories during from the campaign, but it won’t be the candidate telling them.
Misinformation event
We’ve had several different references to the start time for Mary Miller’s presentation on misinformation at Crandall Library in Glens Falls on July 29.
To clarify, the event is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For those hoping to attend, you may want to get there early. Each Wednesday during the summer, downtown Glens Falls has a “Take A Bite” event where restaurants and bars sell food on the sidewalks. It generally attracts a lot of people. You might want to consider having your dinner at “Take A “Bite” before heading over to the presentation at Crandall Library.
We’ve also heard from Warrensburg Supervisor Kevin Geraghty, who is chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, and plans to be at the event. Glens Falls Mayor Diana Palmer is also planning on attending.
Chapman event
Chapman Museum Curator Maureen Folk will offer a special inside look at the museum’s new exhibit, “Benjamin Franklin was Here, 1776,” on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
She’ll review the story of Benjamin Franklin’s stop in Glens Falls, explore his lasting impact on both local and national history, and discover what it really takes to bring an exhibition to life as she reviews the curatorial process.
This program is free for Chapman Members or $10 for non-members. Space is limited so make sure to register at (518) 793-2826.
N.Y. education
Politico revealed some startling statistics about the state of New York.
It reported:
New York spends more per student on public education than any other state, but its test scores are mediocre.
New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires declined more than any other state from 2010 to 2022, and, had it stayed the same, the state would have collected $10.7 billion more in taxes in 2022.
Every other U.S. state has gained more residents from New York than it lost to New York.
Great reporting
Dan Clark, who writes the “Capital Confidential” report for the Times Union each day, should be applauded for doing some old-fashioned basic reporting about the state Legislature.
Clark wanted to know the attendance record for members of the New York Legislature, but it oddly does not publish those statistics, so Clark asked for them and compiled a database for each elected official. The worst were, not surprisingly, downstate members of the Assembly who didn’t bother to show up in Albany at all.
Here at home, it was great to see that both Matt Simpson and Carrie Woerner had perfect attendance records, while Dan Stec missed only two days in the Senate.
ICE presence
Politico also reported that ICE has a growing presence in three different New York communities.
It wrote:
In Newburgh, the federal government has signed a warehouse lease near Stewart International Airport, with a filing indicating that the facility will be used by ICE.
In Batavia, ICE announced it would expand its 650-bed Buffalo Federal Detention Facility.
And in Rochester, the agency is adding immigration detention cells to a federal office building that includes a daycare and courthouse.
End of an empire
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is the latest pundit to muse about whether the United States will be as “vibrant on our 500th birthday?”
Kristof, known for his reporting overseas, writes:
I worry in particular that we are undermining the tripartite approach that has made the United States dominant, starting with heavy investments in human capital such as education. The United States was a world leader in mass education in the 19th and 20th centuries, but we now rank ninth in reading, 16th in science and 34th in math, according to the PISA global ranking of student test scores. Human capital is also about our health and well-being, and that likewise is discouraging: The United States now ranks 61st in life expectancy globally, according to the World Bank.
Finally, action!
Back in January, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Finally this week, Minnesota investigators announced that federal prosecutors turned over key evidence during a week in which another man was killed by ICE in Maine.
The Minnesota evidence included hard drives containing statements, police body camera video and Renee Good’s car.
Blanche hearing
As attorney general nominee Todd Blanche, previously President Trump’s lawyer, faces a confirmation hearing today in Washington, a judge in Florida issued a scathing rebuke to Blanche and a lawsuit the Department of Justice filed to shield Trump’s tax records from the IRS.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams accused Trump and his lawyers of having manipulated the court system by suing a federal agency (the IRS) under his control and bypassing a policy that parties in a lawsuit must have “adverse interests.”
You may remember the lawsuit was settled by granting Trump immunity from tax audits and establishing a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they are unjustly persecuted.
While the judge stopped short of voiding the immunity deal, she did decide the the lawsuit was not legitimate.
The Associated Press reported the judge recommended legal sanctions against some of the lawyers involved and said she was “extremely troubled” by the testimony of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, which was “at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous.”
That may come up at his confirmation hearing today.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and his play “The Last American Newspaper” is being produced by Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany Sept. 25 to Oct. 18 . He currently lives in both Queensbury, N.Y. and New Orleans, La.
“I intend to keep my character and ethics intact as I enter politics or there’s really no point.” Clearly, Constantino is keeping his promise. Unfortunately, his character and ethics are deplorable.
Character does matter! This is attested to by the two shared stories about Blake Gendebien. Thanks, Ken, for lifting up those stories.
We need more candidates who focus on attacking the issues rather than attacking their opponents. We already have too much character assassination in the body politic.