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HOT MIC: Eliot Engel ‘Wouldn’t Care’ About The Protests And Riots ‘If I Didn’t Have A Primary’

A livestream press conference Tuesday appears to show Engel trying to speak before saying: “If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care.”

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New York Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel was caught on a hot mic Tuesday admitting that he wouldn’t be speaking at a press conference related to the riots in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death if he wasn’t facing a primary opponent later this month.

The livestream of a press conference in New York a day after rioters terrorized the city again Monday night shows Engel asking to speak right before explaining to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., “If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. asked Engel to repeat himself, and the congressman obliged. “If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care,” Engel repeated.

“Say that again?” Diaz asked.

“If I didn’t have a primary I wouldn’t care.”

“Don’t do that to me,” Diaz said.

Engel’s office has did not immediately respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.

“In the contest of running for re-election, I thought it was important for people to know where I stand, that’s why I asked to speak,” Engel told The Federalist. “Of course I care deeply about what’s happening in this country, that’s what I wanted to convey. I love the Bronx, grew up in the Bronx and lived here all my life. I would not have tried to impose on the Borough President if I didn’t think it was important.”

New York City suffered its seventh straight night of violent protests Monday as rioters and looters ran lawless around the city destroying businesses and terrorizing communities.

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Engel faces a primary challenge from Jamaal Bowman, a progressive middle school principal in the Bronx for New York’s 16th congressional district. New York’s primary is scheduled for June 23.

This piece has been updated.