The Brooklyn take on a dog that didn't bark up in Albany --- "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown...."

For some, the life and legend of Brooklyn Democrat Assemblyman Peter Abbate is already part of campfire stories about what used to be "Once upon a time in a kingdom by the sea..."  

However, maybe in this case, life after political death might mean a process of eternal death with a lingering life of its own   

There isn't anybody named "Mulwray" in this telling of a fireside tale, and certainly no "She's my sister, she's my daughter..." ickiness  ---  but there is a local "Chinatown" connection, an old warhorse still remembered all around the state, even a former cop with his nose well into it pursuing his second career  ---  and of course, lots of fresh water under the bridge 

They say that there are no second acts in politics.  For many in the Brooklyn GOP, that is the fervent hope and prayer for many of those in-on the grift and graft associated with that "Great White Hope" of the Brooklyn GOP  ---  Assemblyman Lester Chang  >>>  because they don't want to have to deal with Peter Abbate ever again, especially in the same way that Marty Golden and Jerry Kassar had to for about three decades,  and folks like John Quaglione, Georgia K and RR had to for a long time, but somewhat less than three decades.

Last night an article came out that was supposed to be all about sex, drugs and rock & roll with a big time Albany insider twist involving Peter Abbate and his former top aide. Instead, upon a quick read, it looked like all sizzle and no steak. However, what goes for books and their covers, applies to political articles as well; and this one is no exception.

This tale started like this:  "In 2020, Joseph P. Brady, the legislative director for then Brooklyn Assemblyman Peter Abbate Jr., was arrested for felony sex abuse after an 18-year-old woman accused him of drugging and raping her at his home in Watervliet, N.Y., a small town near Albany....  Brady’s arrest sparked widespread media attention because of a subsequent investigation by the Albany-based Times Union exposing the top aide to a powerful elected official’s double life as a leader of a violent motorcycle gang....  But last December, more than two years later, Brady’s felony charge was dismissed, and authorities have been silent about why...."  (See: "Ex-Albany Aide With Biker Gang Ties Escapes Felony Sex Abuse Charge -- Joseph Brady, legislative director for former Brooklyn Assemblymember Peter Abbate, still faces multiple misdemeanor counts in alleged upstate assault" by George Joseph. 2/13/2023, The City    [https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/2/13/23598691/joseph-brady-peter-abbate-felony-sex-abuse-biker-gangs-grand-jury]).

But the important part of that article for us here in Brooklyn is this:

"....   'Did He Flip?’...  In a phone call, Abbate, an influential former Democratic lawmaker who lost his Assembly seat last year after more than three decades of service, said that he had not heard from Brady since his arrest, but added that the charge reduction raised questions about whether his former aide was cooperating with authorities in a larger investigation related to biker violence....  'Did he flip?...' asked Abbate, a lifelong resident of Bensonhurst and the longtime head of the Assembly’s Committee on Government Employees....  'My thought was, since he never called me or anything, that they threw the book at him, just so he would talk,' he continued...."

Something is very NOT RIGHT sounding in what that part of the article says, especially what Abbate is quoted as saying.....  There is so much more that Brady could talk (or could have talked) about other than "biker violence".....

The reporter/author, George Joseph, also noted that  "....  The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment about whether Brady was cooperating with law enforcement. In an email, Stephanie O’Neil, a spokesperson for the New York State Police, said it could not comment on questions about the charge modification...."  

As in every other article written about this Joseph Brady case, there is something there  ---  but there are always lots of questions left unanswered.  Read this latest one [cited above], and see what you think. Real oldtimers might well descibe it as a real "hogan's goat" of a story.

[[[  FYI  ---  Faye Dunaway, who played Evelyn Mulwray in the Roman Polanski, Robert Towne movie "Chinatown" got her start as a "star" in "Hogan's Goat," a play by William Alfred about family secrets and Brooklyn politics.....]]]