Excerpt:
Staten Island Assemblywoman and GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis told the Observer last night that she returned campaign contributions from Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour—and condemned the City University of New York's Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy for inviting the Women's March organizer to speak at its commencement next month.
The activist donated $150 to Malliotakis' "Nicole for New York" committee in June 2011 and another $150 in May 2012, according to state Board of Elections filings. Malliotakis told the Observer that she returned the donations before jumping into the Republican contest for mayor last week—and before issuing a statement calling on CUNY to cancel her appearance.
"Well I returned them already so that was about three, four years ago," Malliotakis said after an unrelated event in Manhattan.