NEW YORK MINUTE: The FBI raided the homes of three high-ranking officials with New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, POLITICO reports. First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and her romantic partner Schools Chancellor David Banks had their West Harlem townhouse searched by agents this morning. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks also saw his Hollis, Queens home raided. Stay with POLITICO for updates on this story. SPINNING THE WEB: Searching online for more information about Republican Rep. Mike Lawler? You may stumble onto a website created by the challenger seeking to unseat him. Former Rep. Mondaire Jones today launched lawlerforny.com, which is devoted to the Democrat’s distillation of Lawler’s stances on issues ranging from abortion to Project 2025 to border security, Playbook has learned. The domain name and faux campaign logo are snarky nods to the freshman GOP member’s name being floated for a statewide office. It could influence the narrative in both Lawler’s bid for reelection to the House as well as any run he may make for, say, governor. The website is only the latest salvo in what is shaping up to be one of the country’s mudsling-iest House fights. The increasingly bitter matchup is playing out in a Hudson Valley district crucial to their parties’ path to the House majority. Lawler and Jones have accused each other of misrepresentation and taken turns seizing on the smallest shreds of evidence to make the case that the other is an extremist. “The Mondaire for Congress campaign is proud to launch lawlerforny.com today to show where Mike Lawler really stands on some of the most important issues to the communities of the Lower Hudson Valley,” Jones’ campaign manager Shannon Geison told Playbook. “From voting repeatedly against a woman’s right to an abortion to defunding the police, Mike Lawler’s voting record in Congress is out-of-touch with the 17th district, and you can’t trust a word he says on social media or on TV..” Lawler has said he opposes a nationwide ban on abortion and accused Jones of wanting to defund the police. Chris Russell, spokesperson for the Lawler campaign, responded, “Mondaire Jones is becoming increasingly desperate to change the course of his failing campaign, with this website being the latest in a long string of lies about Congressman Lawler’s strong, bipartisan, common-sense record. There’s a reason Mondaire and the DCCC haven’t released any polling in NY-17 — it’s because they know their lies aren’t making an impact on the race.” Expect a back-and-forth until Election Day. Just on Wednesday, Lawler and Jones locked horns on X over their support for Israel — an issue critical in a district with a sizable Jewish electorate. “If Mondaire Jones got his way, Israel wouldn’t have the critical funding it needs for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems that have saved countless lives,” the House member alleged, referencing a New York Post story. “In the days leading up to Oct. 7, Mike Lawler voted to cut funding to Israel by nearly $1 billion,” Jones responded. Meanwhile, Jones’ first TV ad of the cycle hit Lawler on affordable health care. “He would allow insurance companies to discriminate against New Yorkers with preexisting conditions like cancer and asthma,” the Democrat says in the 30-second spot. An earlier footnote on the same charge appears to reference a 2013 tweet by Lawler that reads, “Obamacare’s an absolute disaster,” but makes no mention of preexisting conditions. Lawler responded to the ad by seeking to rebut several of his opponent’s charges against him as lies, writing in part, “I am NOT working to overturn the Affordable Care Act.” — Emily Ngo
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