"Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to Rinaldi, the Republican candidate for the district, have posted a number of fake newspaper articles reporting on apparently false endorsements from elected officials across the city. The posts contained fabricated headlines from outlets including the Associated Press, the New York Post, QNS sister publication amNewYork and the Queens Daily Eagle and boast of endorsements from a slew of New York City elected officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, Council Member Robert Holden and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo."
"In footage posted by City & State, Rinaldi appeared to aggressively confront Gennaro and challenged him to a debate, prompting Gennaro to label Rinaldi a white supremacist. "I'm gonna catch you outside and make you, show you what a white supremacist is," Rinaldi responded. Rinaldi later appeared to confirm that the comments were meant as a threat and told Gennaro that he would "whoop your ass.""
Jonathan Rinaldi, the Republican candidate for Queens City Council District 29, has been accused of posting doctored and AI-created images claiming endorsements from elected officials. Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to Rinaldi posted fake newspaper articles reporting false endorsements from elected officials across the city. The posts contained fabricated headlines from outlets including the Associated Press, the New York Post, QNS sister publication amNewYork and the Queens Daily Eagle and boasted endorsements from Mayor Eric Adams, Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, Council Member Robert Holden and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Several elected officials and news outlets denied ever endorsing Rinaldi. Rinaldi has a history of contentious local campaigns, including a 2023 confrontation with Council Member Jim Gennaro that involved threatening language, and an arrest on election day after allegedly ignoring commands and yelling at voters at a polling site.
Read at QNS
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