Randy Mastro is highly qualified to serve as NYC’s top attorney

Discussing bigots: A significant number of members in the City Council have signed a letter pledging to oppose Randy Mastro’s confirmation if Mayor Adams selects him as the next corporation counsel. This opposition seems to stem primarily from Randy Mastro’s previous roles as chief of staff and deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani.

If appointed as the city’s top lawyer, Mastro would oversee the Law Department and offer legal advice to the Adams administration – positions for which he is highly qualified.

Interestingly, the letter from the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus raises concerns about Mastro’s representation of questionable clients, including his involvement in numerous lawsuits against the City of New York.

However, it’s worth noting that Tish James, now the state attorney general and favored by the same council members, frequently sued the city during her tenure as public advocate.

Additionally, many other public figures, such as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, have represented controversial clients in the past. For example, Gillibrand previously worked as a lawyer for tobacco companies.

Even Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán proudly highlights her work as a public defender, which inherently involves defending challenging clients to uphold the principles of the American justice system.

Despite this, Cabán & Co. now seem selective about which clients are deserving of legal representation from a skilled attorney merely due to Randy Mastro’s involvement.

Some of Mastro’s “controversial” cases include:

• Representing oil giant Chevron in a dispute with the government of Ecuador over a $9.5 billion judgment that US courts later deemed as fraudulent.

• Defending a group of landlords who challenged the city’s rent laws.

• Assisting an Upper West Side group in trying to evict homeless men from the Lucerne Hotel during the COVID pandemic.

• Defending Madison Square Garden against allegations of wrongfully banning lawyers from MSG events.

Furthermore, Mastro’s investigation of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Bridgegate scandal cleared him of any misconduct, a finding also supported by the Obama Justice Department.

Randy Mastro, who has a background as a federal prosecutor and renowned litigator, has actively advocated for causes that even left-leaning City Council members support.

His pro bono work includes:

• Representing Black Lives Matter protesters following the clearing of DC’s Lafayette Park in 2020 prior to President Trump’s photo opportunity.

• Thwarting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attempt to enforce burdensome donor-disclosure obligations on New York’s “good government” organizations.

• Challenging the city’s term limits extension legislation and breaches of campaign finance laws.

• Successfully advocating for families of 9/11 firefighters entitled to donations raised by the union.

Perhaps the council’s true issue with Mastro is his decision to remove PLO terror leader Yasser Arafat from a city-sponsored concert at Lincoln Center in 1995?

Mastro is a highly qualified choice with an impeccable track record; Mayor Adams is justified in seeking a diverse team in City Hall, despite objections from more partisan members of the council.