Women’s advocates lend surprise support to Trump touting NYPD big

about 6 years in NY Daily

The head of the NYPD’s Special Victims Division, revealed to be a campaign contributor to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump — even after he was caught on tape bragging about grabbing women “by the p---y” — got an unlikely boost Tuesday from the head of the city chapter of the National Organization for Women.

“Let’s put this into perspective,” Sonia Ossorio said of Deputy Chief Michael Osgood. “We demand that law enforcement investigates crimes without asking what party people are affiliated with. It’s really grasping for straws. I don’t believe there are any laws against police officers donating to their favorite candidates or election laws that would apply.”

“Under this scenario, not a whole lot of work would get done, because people in their private lives support candidates.”

Ossorio’s comments are in sharp contrast to other advocates, including Toni Van Pelt, who as the national president for NOW said Osgood’s donations make him “complicit in the actions of Donald Trump.”

Osgood again could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The NYPD said Osgood remains in charge of Special Victims and that during his tenure there were no complaints filed against Trump.

Meanwhile, City Hall and City Councilman Donovan Richards, who heads to the Public Safety Committee, had no comment.

The News reported Tuesday Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which he boasted about grabbing women, which went public on Oct. 8, 2016, was followed four days later by a $500 donation to his campaign committee by Osgood.

Osgood overall contributed $2,810 over six weeks to Trump’s campaign committees after the tape was revealed, on top of another $1,438 he donated in 2016 before its existence was known.

The NYPD defended Special Victims, without mentioning Osgood, and privately police officials said the department does not monitor campaign contributions, treating them as protected by the an employee’s First Amendment rights.

The officials acknowledged, however, the “bad optics” of the issue.

A bulk of the Osgood donations occurred as Osgood was overseeing the investigation into former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner’s unseemly texting habits. Weiner’s wife, Huma Abedin, was a close adviser to Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and the Weiner probe rocked her campaign.

Ossorio noted the Weiner probe was conducted as it should have been – thoroughly and without regard to politics, and that it wouldn’t have been any different had Osgood contributed to Clinton’s campaign.

“The Weiner case was a child abuse case that came before the NYPD,” Ossorio said. “What I would expect them to do is investigate it as vigorously as they can. What’s the other side of that equation?

“With that line of thinking, the other side of the equation could be, if he were a Hillary supporter, that he couldn’t investigate Weiner.”

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