Staten Island

Staten Island GOP Candidate Apologizes for Hitler Remark, Says It Was ‘Bad Analogy'

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A GOP candidate for Staten Island Borough President who came under fire for saying a phrase used to support Adolf Hitler issued an apology on Tuesday.

Leticia Remauro, a former campaign aide for Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, said the phrase on her own livestream during a Dec. 2 rally in support of Mac’s Public House, a Staten Island bar that stayed open in defiance of the state's COVID-19 restrictions. She likened Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Bill de Blasio's public health rules to the dictatorship of Hitler, but admitted Tuesday that it was a "very bad analogy."

"I used angry and hurtful words that caused people pain. I apologize to my Jewish family members and friends for my lapse in judgement," Remauro said in a tweet along with the video of herself.

The politician told The New York Daily News that she “actually meant to say ‘mein Führer, it’s not a good idea to send me here'" and not "Heil Hitler."

Her apology came after Rep. Malliotakis said she "strongly condemn" the words used by Remauro, adding that there's no excuse. Other leaders went farther and called Remauro to end her campaign.

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