Sen. Pedro Espada isn't getting much love from the guys in his own party.
A few weeks ago, an upstate assemblyman called the Bronx politician a "thug." Now state Sen. Neil Breslin of Albany is taking aim, calling his co-Democrat a "crook" who deserves to "be in jail," according to a report.
Breslin made his comments at a brunch at an Albany church on Sunday, according to a Gannett News Service reporter who was at the event and wrote about the senator's remarks on his blog, reports the Daily News.
Breslin affirmed his comments yesterday.
"The voters in my district are outraged by the conduct of the Senate in June, and in particular of Pedro Espada, and I share their feelings," Breslin told the News.
Espada didn't respond to calls seeking comment on Breslin's remarks.
The Bronx politician was the rogue Democrat who joined the Republican-backed coup only to return to his party once he was guaranteed a leadership post.
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The stalemate that followed the coup stymied state politics for more than a month and infuriated New Yorkers. Weeks after it ended, Espada's son secured a $120,000-a year job with the Senate, which he resigned before his first paycheck amid criticism.
Espada, who has been the target of bipartisan attacks, has also been the subject of investigations into whether he actually lives in his district, failure to file financial disclosure statements and possible abuse of state grants, reports the News.
Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, of the Buffalo area, claimed earlier this month that Espada was a "thug" who should resign from the Senate.
