ALBANY, N.Y. — New York's Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has used a racial slur while he quoted a newspaper opinion article about racism toward darker-skinned Italian immigrants.
Cuomo in a radio interview Tuesday said the name of a slur that combined the N-word with an insulting term for Italian immigrants.
His office didn't offer further comment.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he didn't take offense at Cuomo's comments. Heastie, the first African-American speaker, said Cuomo was quoting a New York Times editorial about racist language once used to describe Italian immigrants.
But Bertha Lewis, founder and president of the Black Institute, a public policy think tank, said Cuomo appears to think he has so much privilege he can say anything. She said there's no comparison between oppression against Italian immigrants and black people.
