Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes allegedly called Satmar powerbrokers Leo (Lazer) Kestenbaum and Moshe (Friedman) Gabbai personally. He told them he is losing the haredi votes because he helped them in the past. Therefore, Hynes supposedly said, they have to help him now.…
Take this as an informed rumor. Its source won't come forward publicly and these type of things are extremely difficult to confirm, in large part because of the retaliation, shunning and other issues potentially involved for those who talk. That said, the source is good and has been accurate in the past.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes allegedly called Satmar powerbrokers Leo (Lazer) Kestenbaum and Moshe (Friedman) Gabbai personally. He told them he is losing the haredi votes because he helped them in the past. Therefore, Hynes supposedly said, they have to help him now.
Kestenbaum and Gabbi allegedly responded by going to the Munkatcher Rebbe and getting him to call together all of the haredi communities for a meeting to tell them that "Hitler" – i.e., Hynes' challenger Ken Thompson – will take over if they don't act now to re-elect Hynes, echoing the lies told about Thompson by haredi NYC Councilman David Greenfield – who is known to be an arm of Satmar.
Kestenbaum and Gabbi don't want it to look like Satmar is behind this, which is why the Munkatcher Rebbe is calling the meeting. They also can't openly praise Hynes because of the conviction of Satmar pedophile Nechemya Weberman, but they can help Hynes by calling Thompson an anti-Semite.
Hynes is also trying to meet tonight with Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum, the Kiryas Joel Satmar Rebbe who equated the young teen victim of Weberman with a prostitute and who ordered his hasidim to shun her and her family and friends and to make their lives miserable. Hynes had said after the Weberman verdict that he would not meet with Aharon Teitelbaum because of that.
The Munkatcher's meeting is supposed to take place after Hynes meets with Aharon Teitelbaum.
Update 4:38 pm CDT – The Satmar HQ Twitter account reported at approximately 4:08 pm CDT that Hynes is visiting Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum to apologize for his previous remarks about Teitelbaum made in the wake of the Weberman trial.
Update 5:28 pm CDT – There is allegedly a deal between Hynes and Satmar to allow the alleged extortionist of Weberman's victim and her now-husband to plead guilty to a lesser charge after the election. That deal will see Abe Rubin – who is charged with bribery, witness tampering and coercion for trying to force the Weberman victim to leave the country and not testify against Weberman – do no prison time. This deal is apparently a key part of Hynes' meeting with Aharon Teitelbaum today.
Update 8:58 pm CDT – A source aware of the situation tells me that both key Satmar-hasid-controled Brooklyn Yiddish newspapers, Der Blatt and Der Yid, have allegedly become part of a deal to drive votes to Hynes in exchange for deals for Rabbi Baruch Lebovits and Abe Rubin. Both will allegedly endorse Hynes just before or just after Rosh HaShana in exchange for leniency for Lebovits and Rubin. Satmar's Zalman faction got its Lebovits deal and the Aharon faction got a deal for Abe Rubin. Both deals, allegedly made in a direct quid-pro-quo with Hynes for the Satmar and like-minded hasidic bloc vote, would be illegal.
Update 11:59 am CDT 8-21-2013 – Rubin got a sweetheart plea deal today and pleaded guilty. The D.A. 'asked' for prison time (which at any rate can not be more than 6 months under the plea deal) but the judge will almost certainly allow him to walk free at his sentencing, which will take place after the election.