N.Y. - Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada leaves Interview With CBS-2
When state Sen. Pedro Espada agreed for an interview on CBS 2's community affairs program, "Eye on New York," we knew it would be interesting. But what we didn't know was just how contentious it would get.
Espada has always cultivated a tough guy image in Albany, but he lost his cool and stormed off the set of CBS 2 during the taping of the program.
Espada had agreed to appear on the broadcast to counter the negative events surrounding him this week. A criminal complaint filed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged him with making his Soundview Health Clinic his personal piggy bank. There were raids by the IRS and FBI of Soundview, and subpoenas filed by Cuomo seeking records of the people he put on the state payroll who are his relatives or work for him at the clinic.
Before the interview began, "Eye On New York" kicked off with a video package explaining those events.
Said Espada: "Anyone watching what we just watched would think I am a hired assassin or some underground Mafioso. This is overkill to say the minimum; I mean this goes way beyond the pay of decency."
The questions that made him leave the studio had to do with the first time Kramer tried to confront him. It was last April at his Mamaroneck house to show he wasn't living in his Bronx district. He put on an orange ski cap in an apparent attempt to hide his face from the cameras.
Kramer and Espada went back and forth on the issue.
Espada: "The orange cap that I wear, I was not hiding from anybody. I've owned that home since 1991."
Kramer: "Senator, when I tried to talk to you, you got into a car, you put a baby in front of your face so that I wouldn't be able to get a picture of you, and you had your wife tear out of the driveway when the baby wasn't in the car seat."
Espada: "Marcia Kramer, this is not a mud-slinging session so I say. If you wanna make it that, you can come hide in the bushes in my house. … Human decency should prevail, even on this show."
As Dahler announced the program was going to a commercial break, Espada removed his microphone and scurried off the set looking for the door. Kramer and Dahler tried to get him to return.
Kramer: "Senator what we're trying to do is give you the opportunity to answer these questions."
Dahler: "There are many more questions to answer."
Kramer: "I mean there are tons of questions to answer, you mean to tell me you don't want to answer these questions?"
Espada (off set): "Please direct me to the way out please."
Espada did say he thought he was the victim of a "witch hunt." Investigations though are being carried out by the IRS, the FBI, two U.S. attorneys, and Cuomo.
To see the entire heated interview with Espada, tune into "Eye On New York" on Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m.
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