By Richard Luthmann
Brian Laline was a newspaperman for over fifty years. He was once good. He reported the news, laid out the facts, and let the readers come to their own conclusions.
As the only daily newspaper in a local market larger than Miami and Minneapolis, he enjoyed all the benefits. He was invited to all the galas and events. Laline was given a front-row seat at every press conference. He even hobnobbed at the country club.
That all changed about thirty years ago. Laline became a liberal elite, or more precisely a liberal elite sychophant. He had “made it” and didn’t want to “lose it.” And to “keep it,” it was easy. Attack, attack, attack Republicans every chance you get.
He did just that by acts of commission, but more often by acts of omission. By the stories that affected Democrat Party politicians and their allies that you didn’t read about. Those sprouts would quickly die in the Staten Island news desert if Laline didn’t water them.
Coincidentally, thirty years ago was just about the same time Laline crawled up Nancy Pelosi's sycophant Mike McMahon’s ass. He’s lived there ever since. Lanine has been Mike and Judy’s loyal hound for a generation.
Today, like the rest of the mainstream corporate media, Laline peddles leftist bullshit. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that he uses no disclaimers. Many believe that Brian Laline is still a newspaperman. He’s not. And the public should know that what they are reading does not come from “The Press” as it’s been traditionally understood throughout American history.
A case in point is the Staten Island Advance’s recent “endorsement” of Nicole Malliotakis. She is the Congressional representative for Staten Island and Brooklyn. Nicole is well-liked, well-respected, and a hyper-intelligent political animal.
Let me say at the outset that I’m not on Nicole Malliotakis’s list of the top 100,000 people. I’m not on her Christmas card list since Ronald Castorina and I chuckled about a 2016 South Beach Civic Association picnic and a super-soaker incident. "Where do you come up with this 'sh-t' 'f-cking' hysterical," Judge Ron said.
I was punished for my transgressions. EDNY Prosecutrix Moira Kim Penza told the late great Judge Jack Weinsten I was “dangerous” because of my love for water guns and shooting a former NYC Mayoral Candidates. She also said I was connected to the mob, when in reality I’m connected to a fork. Judge Weinstein saw through all of that Government bullshit, but still, the damage was done because I acted like an ass.
I’ve since apologized to Nicole. I treated her very poorly. Others did, too, but many have not apologized. And a few, like Ronald Castorina, still hold elected office.
But I know people like to hear my thoughts because I call it how it is - unabashed and unafraid. So here’s the skinny.
As the only Republican in the New York City delegation, Hakeem Jeffries - the Dems “top dog” - has to go hat in hand to Malliotakis’ office whenever he wants something for his Brooklyn District. The Republicans control Congress - and the purse strings. Nicole’s ass always smells nice because every Democrat in New York City kisses it regularly.
As she grows in influence in the most securely red district in New York State, electeds from Buffalo to Albany to Montauk will also come. As her position in congressional leadership grows, national figures will seek her blessing and counsel.
Most don’t understand what it means. When you’re the Speaker of the House, your district is figuratively “paved with streets of gold.” There is nothing denied to your constituency.
And I’ll say it here for the record: one day, with some hard work and a little luck, Nicole Malliotakis could be the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. I’m rooting for her, and I don’t even live in the district anymore. Not right now, anyway.
Staten Island hasn’t had someone with this much potential since the late John “Black Jack” Murphy. If it hadn’t been for Abscam (Jimmy Carter’s 1970s version of Law-Fare), there may have been no Tip O’Neill in the 1980s. While in the service, “Black Jack” left a river of dead commie blood in the Pacific Theater, only to be politically shanked years later by the commies in his own party at home. We could have had Speaker Murphy from Staten Island shaking hands with the Pope and “the Gipper,” bringing down the “Evil Empire.” And “the Rock” would look very different today.
Instead of giving an honest assessment that Staten Island is represented by a gem of a politician and a person, Laline did what he’s done for a generation: shovel Liberal Democrat bullshit.
The Staten Island Advance’s “endorsement” of Nicole Malliotakis read more like something that should be nailed to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. The problem is that Brian Laline is no Martin Luther; the leftist sycophant fails to make a single point.
Laline can’t attack Malliotakis. She does her job well, she’s well-liked, and she will win with close to 70% of the vote. Everyone knows it. Especially the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). They gave Max Rose $5 million in two straight elections. This year, they haven’t given the Democrat lawyer running against Nicole a dime.
Instead, Laline used the space for Nicole Malliotakis’ endorsement to attack Donald Trump. It is page one of the Liberal Elite playbook. Maybe Brian is moonlighting as a writer for “The View” or “Morning Joe.”
Here are the barbs Brian Laline and the Staten Island Advance editorial board threw and why he and they are dead wrong:
Nicole Malliotakis’ support of Donald Trump: Laline equates supporting Donald Trump with ‘lunacy’ because he fundamentally misunderstands voters - particularly the Staten Island electorate even though he’s covered it for 50 years. Many Americans support Trump’s policies, believing in his achievements in economic, trade, and foreign policy. Liberal elites ignore valid reasons that many voters have chosen to back him, such as tax reform or a tougher stance on immigration. This is because liberal elites think voters are closer to 24-year-old political science instructors at Yale University than a 47-year-old woman living in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio, who didn’t have a college degree and whose husband works a blue-collar job. Two Democrats hoping to save their party from future defeats, Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg, wrote “The Real Majority” in the 1970s - when Laline began his career. Most Americans can’t locate New Haven on a map and wouldn’t be ashamed to spell “Y-A-L-E” with a six. One thing is clear: Liberal elites never learn.
Calls for fair elections: Laline equates calls for fair elections with “2020 Election Denial.” Trump questioned the fairness of the last presidential election. However, many politicians and voters, including Malliotakis, have similarly expressed strong concerns about election integrity. Disagreeing with an election outcome or critically examining the results is not inherently “disparaging” the entire system. It is exercising the right to challenge perceived irregularities, as seen in other contested elections in U.S. history. Protection of the electoral franchise is a fundamental job for an elected official. Laline would have Nicole derelict her duty and then criticize her for it. You can’t have it both ways, Brian.
Belittling women and sexual abuse: If Trump's behavior toward women was so troubling, Nicole Malliotakis would not stand with him. He has denied the sexual abuse allegations, and the hush money charges stem from personal, not political, conduct. Trump’s base includes many women who value his policies despite these controversies, indicating that not all voters see his personal actions as disqualifying for public office. Plus, the civil lawsuit claims come from a biased and corrupt New York courtroom, where the Democrat Party Elites make hacks like Arthur Eragon and Ronald Castorina State Supreme Court Justices instead of Sing Sing residents. If Laline wants to talk about disqualifying, he should write about Bill and Hillary Clinton. They systematically abused women and others—sexually, physically, and psychologically—in their scramble for power and wealth.
Choice of vice presidential candidate and women’s choices: J.D. Vance’s traditional views on family life are well-documented and shared by hundreds of millions of Americans. Trump himself has frequently praised career women, including his own daughter, Ivanka, for their professional achievements. Generalizing one member of the ticket’s views as a reflection of the entire administration oversimplifies a more complex political alliance. It also showed a complete disrespect for the career accomplishments of Nicole Malliotakis. Brian, you have to do better.
Calling January 6 “Lawfare” and pledging pardons: Trump calls January 6 “Lawfare” - and he’s right. The law was not applied the same way to the BLM and ANTIFA rioters who burned down Minneapolis. January 6 is divisive, but Trump is not alone in the perceived miscarriages of justice for those involved. Many believe that prosecutorial overreach occurred. Offering pardons for those convicted of non-violent offenses is a political strategy, not an endorsement of violence any more than the Biden-Harris Administration’s non-prosecution of the perps from the George Floyd riots is. But Kamala’s setting up a “bail fund” for violent criminals is a different story. Kamala has to answer for Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman, who firebombed a vehicle at the NYPD’s 88th Precinct in Brooklyn. In a federal prosecution, Mattis and Urooj, who tried to burn NYPD officers alive, received a year and a day and fifteen months, respectively. Grandmothers found guilty of parading received more time from the Biden-Harris administration. Anything to say about that, Laline?
Mocking opponents: Trump’s harsh rhetoric is a staple of his political style. While some find it off-putting, it is debate not bullying. Democrats can quit playing the victim card, put on their ‘big girl’ makeup, do interviews, and debate policy. They don’t because they’ll lose. Trump uses blunt language to challenge political correctness and cancel culture, hallmarks of the leftist agenda. Voters, politicians, and celebrities who support him, like Nicole Malliotakis and Dr. Phil, are more focused on his policies than his personal insults. Bullying is always wrong, even when it’s done by Democrats; you just won’t hear about it from Brian Laline.
Questioning Kamala’s Black heritage: Trump's comments about Kamala’s Black identity were criticized, but are legitimate. Harris is NOT a descendant of American slaves. Neither of her parents is an American-born Black person. This has become a hot topic among Black voters, who have been fiercely debating the role race and ethnicity may play in forming her experience. Does this woman, admittedly raised by a housekeeper in Berkeley and Canada, have a “shared experience of Blackness” with African-American voters as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants? Meanwhile, Trump’s record on race-related issues, such as criminal justice reform (First Step Act), is more nuanced and supported by many African American leaders. His comments, while pointed political attacks, are not reflective of his racial policy. To claim that are would be dishonest. But for the liberal elite media, a ray of truth has little chance against blanket allegations of racism.
Spouting Conspiracies: Trump’s rhetoric sometimes includes hyperbolic claims, but they are not conspiracies if they are true. On immigration, Trump policies focus on enforcing existing laws and securing borders, which overwhelmingly many voters see as necessary for national security rather than dehumanizing. To spin this, Laline invokes Springfield, Ohio. Trump said, “[T]hey're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating the pets of people that live there." While the Town Manager initially disputed this, throngs of residents stated they had witnessed it with their own eyes - that Haitian immigrants were cooking up their pets. The liberal elites were upset; mostly because Trump got caught actually talking TO voters and not AT them. Many voters view these bombastic statements as part of his anti-establishment persona, targeting political elites and media outlets they believe promote biased narratives. But the point is very simple: Trump was right. He was right about the border. He was right about Springfield. He was right about Aurora. He was right about other countries emptying their prisons and sending over their murderers, rapists, and pedophiles. And he was right about migrant crime. Laline’s problem is that his liberal elite bias precludes him from covering stories like Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, and Laken Riley, even if the next victim is your wife, daughter, granddaughter, or niece on Port Richmond Avenue.
Threatening a free press: Trump has criticized the press, particularly media outlets he views as biased. However, his issue is with specific outlets, not freedom of the press as a whole. Brian Laline is the real threat. Liberal media elites, acting as the mouthpiece of the Democrat Party, lead a broad effort to undermine the Constitution. Labeling independent media as "dangerous misinformation" is part of a campaign fueled by groups like Media Matters, a political arm of the Democrat Party, aiming to stifle dissent. Recent rhetoric and actions, such as Hillary Clinton’s calls to repeal Section 230 and impose penalties for "misinformation," are clear attacks on the First Amendment. Democrats claim to protect democracy but are, in fact, seeking to silence opposing voices and consolidate control. Figures like John Kerry have gone so far as to call the First Amendment a barrier to combating disinformation, highlighting the party's growing hostility towards free speech. By pressuring social media platforms and attempting to ban conservative outlets, the Democrat Party reveals its broader agenda: a government that controls speech, disarms citizens, and reshapes the country to limit individual freedoms. Who is the beneficiary? Not the people, but liberal elites like Brian Laline, who get to stay fat and happy, fed by their masters.
Nicole Malliotakis supporting Trump’s policies: Lambasting her support of the man wasn’t enough. Laline threw shade on Nicole’s support for Trump’s policies - proven effective by four years of governance. Malliotakis has consistently stated that her support is based on policy, such as economic growth and national security. Accusing her of being a “Trump apologist” ignores her legitimate political reasons for supporting a policy platform aligning with the values of the vast majority of her constituents. Most voters prioritize results over rhetoric in their political leaders, and so does Nicole Malliotakis.
Laline can’t answer any of these points. He will say that the Staten Island Advance editorial board endorsed Nicole Malliotakis. But that’s only because he wants to keep getting invitations to all the events and cocktail parties around town and not have to put his hand in his pocket. That Nicole Malliotakis will win in a landslide isn’t hard to see. It’s like picking the Harlem Globetrotters over the Washington Generals. At least Laline isn’t that much of a political degenerate, though it’s close.
The last piece of mail I sent to Brian was from prison. The next piece will be from the second Trump Inauguration. But I don’t know where to send it: the Staten Island Advance’s new rented floor of offices on South Avenue, his house in New Jersey, or his barstool at the Richmond County Country Club.
Laline’s fall from grace as a once-honorable newspaperman to a predictable mouthpiece for the Democrat Party is a cautionary tale about the dangers of media complacency. His shift to partisan loyalty has stripped away any veneer of journalistic integrity. An endorsement in name only, he could offer readers only a “talking points” attack on Trump rather than a fair evaluation of Nicole Malliotakis herself and what she’s delivered in the past, currently brings to the table, and stands to offer in the future.
Like much of the liberal media, Brian Laline is focused on serving his political patrons rather than the truth. As Nicole’s influence grows, with the potential to one day become a top player in the upper echelons of political power, the likes of Laline will continue to pander, hoping to maintain their standing within the elite circles they desperately cling to.
But the people of Staten Island, like the rest of America, deserve more than the regurgitated talking points of a failed political establishment. They deserve truth, honesty, and leadership. Nicole Malliotakis embodies all of those things. Laline's predictable attacks only serve to further erode what little credibility he has left, exposing him as yet another cog in the Democrat Party’s liberal elite media machine.
S.I. Media Legend Falls: Malliotakis Presses On as Laline Peddles Leftist Lies