‘Stop smearing’ New York's Finest, Rep. Pete King tells Democratic probers

Investigation into NYPD anti-terror tactics 'embarrassingly uninformed,' Long Island congressman charges

NY Daily News -- by Joseph Straw

WASHINGTON — Rep. Pete King blasted Democratic colleagues Thursday for demanding an investigation of NYPD anti-terror tactics — telling them to “stop smearing” city cops.

The congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus has asked the Justice Department and its House overseers to investigate the department.

The caucus cited Associated Press reports that the NYPD Intelligence Division is advised by a CIA agent and targets the city’s Muslim communities, maintaining a list of “ancestries of interest.”

“If true, these allegations raise issues both under federal statutes and constitutional claims,” wrote Reps. Judy Chu and Mike Honda (D-Calif.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), asking fellow lawmakers to join their effort.

King, a Long Island Republican and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, responded immediately, calling their statements “embarrassingly uninformed and shamefully misleading.”

King noted that since 9/11, the department has stopped at least 14 terror plots targeting the city.

“All of this has been accomplished in full compliance with federal law and despite the NYPD being underfunded by the federal government,” he wrote.

In his own “dear colleague” letter, King directed lawmakers to the Sunday Daily News op-ed penned by former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who defended the effectiveness and legality of NYPD’s intelligence operations.