City Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled a campaign app outside of the Midtown Apple store. (Photo: Jill Colvin)

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn laughed off suggestions Thursday that she had purposely scheduled a press conference to rain on an opponent's endorsement parade--the second time she's been accused of using the tactic in recent months.

“We should be so well-organized to figure everything out on that level!" said Ms. Quinn, bursting into awkward, raucous laughter when Politicker asked about the timing of her Thursday press conference unveiling a new mobile app for her campaign.

(Her cackle is a particularly well-known response mechanism in city politics.)

Ms. Quinn's campaign sent out a scheduling announcement for the event hours after former Comptroller Bill Thompson's campaign announced "a major endorsement of his plans to rebuild New York City's working class" at the same time outside of City Hall.

"Cynicism--apparently, there's an app for that," one political insider remarked on the timing.

But Ms. Quinn said the timing had nothing to do with Mr. Thompson, and that the event was simply fit in between a morning briefing on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's final executive budget speech and a City Council smoking hearing.

“It’s just a time that worked," she said.

Ms. Quinn was previously accused of stepping on an opponent's toes when she made a surprise announcement that the council would pass a bill reducing street vendor fines just as Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, her most vocal critic, was about to unveil a report on small business fines on the steps of City Hall.

“How convenient!” Mr. de Blasio told reporters sarcastically at the time, marveling at what he called “a stunning coincidence.” Ms. Quinn's council office insisted at the time it was.

For his part, Mr. Thompson tried to keep the focus on his own news: endorsements from Bronx Congressman José Serrano and his son, State Senator José Serrano.

"You're going to have to ask other people about their campaigns," he told Politicker when he took questions afterwards. "I just know that today, this is a great day for my campaign. This is a great day being able to stand with two very distinctive New Yorkers as we look to move New York City forward. We're not looking to divide. We're not responding to others."

Ms. Quinn, the early front-runner in the race, also brushed off suggestions Thursday that she has been scaling back her attendance at mayoral forums to avoid increasingly pointed attacks from her rivals.

“The only reason we weren’t able to attend last night or tonight was just because of other commitments, scheduling conflicts," she said, noting that she'd attended somewhere between 30 and 40 forums already and was committed to attending about a dozen more over the coming weeks.

“It’s been this way for a lot of candidates,” she said, adding that several of her opponents had missed events, too. “Just, unfortunately, sometimes the schedule precludes you to being everywhere and at every event."

Additional reporting by Colin Campbell.

"Shames on Brooklyn College Support of Jew-Hatred"

The Israel-Palestine conflict once again reached New York's political scene today as elected officials and other activists gathered to denounce Brooklyn College's political science department for their controversial decision to sponsor a February forum calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.  To say the press conference was heated would be an understatement as it was chocked full of charged rhetoric including multiple references to anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and al-Qaeda.

"Let me tell you, it brings back a lot of memories," Assemblyman Dov Hikind, the emcee of today's denunciation, began. "I studied here towards my B.A. and got my Master's at Brooklyn College, a lot of very fond memories. I stand here very, very disappointed, ... students and the organization [are] holding a lecture next week with two viciously, viciously, anti-Israel [speakers]. And when I say 'viciously,' I mean they call for the destruction of the state of Israel. They think Hamas and Hezbollah are good organizations. I would assume they feel the same way about al-Qaeda. These are individuals who are extreme radicals."

Mr. Hikind and his fellow elected officials were not calling for the forum itself to be canceled, however. Their issue was the school, which is part of the publicly-funded City University of New York system, sponsoring the event. Though college representatives have denied the school's sponsorship indicates an endorsement of the forum's views, that argument was not accepted by the various officials at today's rally.

Councilman David Greenfield, labeling the forum as part of a "hate-filled, antisemitic, pro-terrorist movement," even brought out his dictionary to counter the college's defense of the forum.

"This is the United States of America, if you want to be a racist, if you want to be an anti-Semite and even if you want to speak out in favor of terrorism, we respect that you have the right to do that. Of course, you're wrong, but you have the right to do that and should have the right to do that on a college campus," Mr. Greenfield explained. "The problem is--and this is what's oh-so-very-offensive to me--is when the administration turns around and says, 'Well, we're not endorsing these views, we're simply sponsoring the event.' I mean, it's a little bit shocking, honestly. ... The word 'sponsorship' according to the dictionary means 'one who who vouches or is responsible for another thing.' So it really is intellectually dishonest."

Others at the event invoked Nazi Germany and the Klan as they attacked Brooklyn College for its sponsorship of the forum.

"As a child of Holocaust survivors, I will not remain silent," Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz declared.

"If David Duke were here, I'm sure President Gould would be outside protesting as well. This is not just an academic exercise on the part of the political science trying to teach some political science," Assemblyman Alan Maisel added. "The destruction of Israel has real consequences. That would mean that the millions of people living in Israel would not have a state. It means that it would be open house on all of the people who live there. We are talking about the potential of a second Holocaust."

Today's event also drew a leading mayoral candidate, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who described the upcoming event at the college as a "forum of hate."

"We all stand here in support of free speech. We believe in being able to express your opinion. We believe in students being able to express their opinions. We believe in different points of view," Mr. Thompson announced. "It's what makes this country so great. You can express your opinion. So let me express an opinion against that. This organization is one that expresses hate, that expresses opposition to Israel. I have the right to stand here, and oppose that organization. ... You have the right to express an opinion just like we do. But you do not have have a right, and should not put, the name of Brooklyn College, the name of the political science department, on that forum of hate."

Speaking on behalf of the school about today's press conference, Brooklyn College spokesman Jeremy Thompson dismissed the controversy over the forum as simply different groups expressing opposing views.

"As far as the press conference being held, my only comment is, just like we stand behind our students and faculty who have a right to present views and discuss topics they see as important, so do the assemblymen," Mr. Thompson told Politicker when reached for comment. "They are well within their right to voice their views, just as everyone in our college community is."

Despite all of the angry rhetoric, Mr. Hikind wrapped up the event by suggesting the officials in attendance could have been much harsher in their condemnation of Brooklyn College.

"You've heard the calmest presentation today [from] people who care deeply about Israel. They're not calling here to cancel the event. That's not what they're saying! Boy! How calm and reasonable is that?" the assemblyman exclaimed as he made his final points. "It should not be sponsored by the university itself because that means my dollars are paying for that event and I'm not interested in paying for hate. ... They're giving the seal of approval, they're making it kosher. It's not a kosher event."

Additional reporting by Ross Barkan.

(Photo: Getty)

In an announcement surprising many political observers, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre came out swinging against both the media and a host of other entities in the wake of the recent elementary school massacre in Connecticut. In today's extensive address, Mr. LaPierre further proposed immediately putting an armed security guard in every single school in order to guard students against future shootings. Needless to say, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has become one of the nation's chief  voices against the NRA's lobbying efforts, was unimpressed.

“The NRA's Washington leadership has long been out of step with its members, and never has that been so apparent as this morning," Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. "Their press conference was a shameful evasion of the crisis facing our country. Instead of offering solutions to a problem they have helped create, they offered a paranoid, dystopian vision of a more dangerous and violent America where everyone is armed and no place is safe. Leadership is about taking responsibility, especially in times of crisis. Today the NRA's lobbyists blamed everyone but themselves for the crisis of gun violence. While they promote armed guards, they continue to oppose the most basic and common sense steps we can take to save lives - not only in schools, but in our movie theaters, malls, and streets. Enough. As a country, we must rise above special interest politics."

At least two of Mr. Bloomberg's would-be successors have also sent out statements so far, Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. Both slammed the NRA and discussed Mr. de Blasio's call to divest the public pension from the gun industry.

“The NRA’s press conference was a bizarre misfire," Mr. Liu said. "The NRA’s grotesque proposal insults the memory of the innocent victims who were gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut. The gun lobby’s argument that our children would only be protected if schools had armed guards is a twisted vision of a future in which no one is safe. If we want our children to be safe at home or at school today, we need tougher controls over guns today. As my office stated on Tuesday, the NYC Pension Funds are reviewing their holdings in gun manufacturers and are considering all options, including divestment, to ensure that public pension dollars do not support weapons that can destroy a community in the blink of an eye."

“The NRA’s response to the tragedy in Newtown is a complete disgrace," Mr. de Blasio echoed. "Only the NRA would have the audacity to claim the solution to horrific school violence is to put more guns in our schools. Through divestment, through tougher laws and through a national movement, we are going to take the gun lobby head-on and win.”

Update (3:07 p.m.): Council Speaker Christine Quinn, another mayoral contender, sent out a press release on the topic:

“Seven days after those teachers and children were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut the NRA has broken their silence. I wish they had kept their mouths shut. All they did today was add more pain and heartache to those Newtown families. Their remarks are some of the most stupid, asinine, insensitive, ridiculous comments I have ever heard made in the public arena. All these remarks tell us is that the NRA does not seem to care about protecting our children. I do not understand how even with all of those little coffins being rolled out in Newtown, that the NRA believes the answer is more guns. All that would have happened if there were armed guards in Sandy Hook Elementary is that we would now have dead armed guards. Why do we need an army style gun in that school, a gun we send to Afghanistan? I think the NRA’s comments today were a clear and blatant attempt to throw salt in the wounds of families who lost their loved ones. As a human being, I am surprised and tremendously disappointed in what the NRA did today.”

Virginia Kee speaking next to former Rep. Major Owens

Earlier this afternoon, community leaders gathered together off Bowery Street in Chinatown to castigate the federal government for their continued investigation of Comptroller John Liu's fundraising operation. Before the criminal charges were leveled against his campaign treasurer and a top donor, Mr. Liu was a leading candidate for mayor, causing the event's speakers to surmise there were political motivations behind the allegations. Among those speaking out against the feds were former Rep. Major Owens, who blasted the 18 month-long investigation as "Nixonian," and former District Leader Virginia Kee, who used even sharper rhetoric by invoking the Holocaust.

"I am so glad that members of the press are here to hear us. For so many months, our voice was not heard outside of Chinatown," Ms. Kee, who was emceeing the event, said before suddenly pivoting to a darker topic. "You know we were not there in Nazi Germany. But maybe we were. But maybe we were. There were a lot of people who saw people being killed. Wasn't there a need for us to say, 'This is wrong. This is wrong?' So we see it, now that John Liu's problem [has emerged]. We see it as from the Americans' perspective that this country can be somber in a way to give everyone the equality, the recognition we deserve, then it would bring out the best in people. We need to do that."

"We should not condemn someone who has done no wrong except try to run for public office," she concluded. "Isn't that what we all should be able to do? If John Liu isn't able to do it, we will not have an Asians standing up for a very long time and maybe our young people will suffer greater discrimination. Thank you all."

A reporter understandably asked Ms. Kee if she could clarify her reference to Nazi Germany, causing her to explain that, in light of the Jewish NewYear, she was speaking out on Mr. Liu's behalf just like Germans should have done against Adolf Hitler's policies of human extermination.

"I was saying that, because I was thinking of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish [holiday], and what happened in Nazi Germany so many years ago," she answered. "You were not there. I was not there. But in a sense, we were all there. Weren't there many good Germans who allowed this to happen? Were there many good Nazis at that time? Why wasn't there an outrage? I think it was terrible!"

Ms. Kee was pressed one more time about the Nazi comparison, where she responded, "I am saying the comptroller, who has done nothing, how would any one of us like to undergo an investigation for 18 months and have our wire tapped, talking to our friends, our family? Isn't this outrageous?"