James Polite, a 26-year-old former intern for Christine Quinn, former Speaker of the New York City Council, was arrested on Friday for vandalizing a synagogue in Brooklyn.
Law enforcement officials believe that not only did Polite write anti-Semitic statements in black marker in the synagogue like “Kill All Jews,” he is allegedly responsible for committing arson at seven yeshivas and shuls in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn.
According to a 2017 New York Times profile, Polite met Quinn at a 2008 gay pride rally supporting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Polite went on to intern for Quinn for “several years” as well as work on her 2009 re-election campaign and her failed 2013 mayoral campaign.
Quinn later wrote a letter of recommendation for Polite to study at Brandeis University; Polite did attend the university but took a leave absence in 2015 to enter rehabilitation for a weed addiction, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Quinn said in a statement on Saturday that she was heartbroken over Polite’s alleged actions:
— Christine Quinn (@chriscquinn) November 3, 2018
Polite is currently being held for a psychiatric evaluation.
According to The Daily Caller, Polite’s Facebook page included statements such as “Jew n****r pigs” and railed against the supposed “Zionist economic order.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.