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5/9/2019 12:30 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

Al Sharpton isn't surprised that President Trumpwas reportedly bleeding money -- about a billion dollars worth, no less -- in his "heyday" as a mogul ... 'cause that's been his MO.

We got the reverend leaving Capitol Hill in D.C. Wednesday, where our photog asked about the big NYT story from yesterday -- in which the paper claimed to have uncovered 9 years worth of Trump's taxes between 1985 and 1994 ... showing he spent a decade in the red.

Rev. Sharpton says the news didn't strike him as much as it might have the average Joe, as he says that anyone who dealt with The Donald in those days knew full well that he wasn't the business hotshot he portrayed himself as ... especially in "The Art of the Deal."

According to Al, there's only one business Trump has been successful in ... and he says the Prez has carried that same formula over to the White House. Any guesses???

Bottom line for Mr. Sharpton ... it's time to change the channel away from Trump.

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Al Sharpton Says Trump Belongs in The Con Man HOF ... - tmz.com

The 2020 Democratic primaries are taking place next year, but the contest to be the presidential nominee is already throwing up some unforgettable images.

Weve already seen Beto ORourke standing on things, Elizabeth Warren cracking open a beer, and Bernie Sanders shouting and pointing, but step aside, all of you, because now, we have a mind-boggling photo of Mayor Pete Buttigieg meeting the Rev Al Sharpton in front of every single photographer in New York City.

Buttigieg dined with Sharpton, the longtime civil rights activist and founder of the National Action Network, at Sylvias restaurant in Harlem on Tuesday.

The meal and chat, as Buttigieg seeks to further boost his campaign, spawned an image that scans like a postmodern take on privacy and politics in the modern era: dozens of journalists straining for a glimpse from outside a window as Sharpton and Buttigieg have a nominally private conversation.

Both men are pretending to be oblivious to the scrum of photographers. An earnest-looking Buttigieg animatedly gestures and smiles at an utterly impassive Sharpton, the scene bringing to mind an eager sales rep trying to foist a new line of faucets on a department store owner.

If the setting looks familiar, well, it should. Silvias is Sharptons go-to place to fix Democratic presidential hopefuls with his inscrutable gaze.

The California senator Kamala Harris met Sharpton in the same restaurant, and sat in the exact same spot, just last week. Sharpton again looked as though he was taking part in a staring contest.

Back in 2016, Sharpton was staring at Bernie Sanders although on that occasion at least both men seemed equally skeptical of each other and Sharpton met Obama at Sylvias there in 2007, peering at the eventual president as Obama crammed a chicken wing into his mouth.

Buttigieg was in New York as he attempts to bolster his support among African Americans, after surging in Iowa and New Hampshire polls.

Its unclear if his effort will be successful, and unclear if Buttigieg can sustain his meteoric rise.

One thing, though, is certain: he wont be the last candidate to be stared at by Sharpton in Harlem.

Originally posted here:
Through the looking glass: Pete Buttigieg and Al Sharpton ...

When Pete Buttigieg asked Rev. Al Sharpton for advice on campaigning for president in the Souths Bible Belt as an openly gay white man, the civil rights leader responded, I think you should say, I am who I am.

ButtigiegmetSharpton for lunch at the landmark Harlem soul food restaurant Sylvias on Monday to discuss the need to confront homophobia in the faith community as well as the South Bend mayors policy agenda for the black community in Indiana and around the country, according to a campaign statement.

We need to deal with homophobia in the faith in the black community, said Sharpton.

In the past month, Buttigieg hasclashedwith Vice President Mike Pence over his faith and sexuality; faced antigay protestors and hecklers outside of hishomeand on thecampaign trail; and received criticism from evangelical leaderFranklin Graham, who said the mayors homosexual lifestyle was not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized.

You should be judged on your merits, Sharpton told Buttigieg, who sat across from him at a table for two. And we cant fight against bigotry based on race and were going to be bigots based on sexual orientation.

Sharpton suggested Buttigieg put the black LGBT community on the table, particularly when the mayor returns to campaign in South Carolina next month.

Buttigieg laid out his agenda for black voters, which he said focuses on homeownership, entrepreneurship, health, education, and criminal justice. But he also touched on issues that have given black voters pause. Buttigieg talked about hisfiringof South Bends first African-American police chief, a decision he said still stings with the black community. Later in front of reporters, Buttigieg reiterated his opposition to giving incarcerated felons the right to vote.

While Mayor Pete has risen to national prominence and has become a factor in the crowded Democratic presidential field, South Bends black residents have expressedlukewarm attitudestoward him and he still has along wayto go towin overblack voters across the country. Perhaps in an attempt to make up that ground, Buttigieg has now met twice in one month with Sharpton, who called him very much authentic and firm in who he was and what he represented.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, right, meets with Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem. (Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

In early April, Buttigieg and other Democratic hopefuls spoke at Sharptons National Action Network annual conference. It was there that Buttigieg called for abolishing the death penalty and said he would sign a bill to commission a study on reparations for descendants of slaves.

Sitting across from Sharpton in Sylvias, as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., had donemonths before, Buttigieg candidly outlined his campaign strategy to reach diverse constituencies around the U.S, comparing it to rock climbing.

I know Ive got a handhold with the LGBT community [which] is a minority, but also touches every other part of the coalition, he told Sharpton during lunch, which he apparentlydidnt knowwas being broadcast live. Or people in the Midwest Ive got a handhold there. So I can reach into the Latino community ... just take whatever relationships we have, then try to use those to reach other people.

The problem I have is some people will just come find me, Buttigieg continued. Theyll come to my rally, theyll rush to my event, theyll be at my fundraiser. But if Im only talking out to the people who come to me, its not going to become more diverse.

So youre going to reach out? interjected Sharpton with a wide, sweeping arm gesture.

I got to, said Buttigieg.

Its important for this midwestern mayor to come to the mecca of black America, Harlem, to speak to our premier leader of black communities, said Alvin Ponder, leader of NANs New York City chapter, who called Buttigiegs appearance with Sharpton good politics. The black vote is going to be extremely significant in the 2020 election. ...[H]es more in line with my views, which are between moderate and progressive.

But while politically savvy New Yorkers recognized Buttigieg on Malcolm X Blvd. and struggled to pronounce his name others failed to see the cause for commotion.

Jerome, 31, from East New York, was having lunch at Sylvias when Sharpton and Buttigieg showed up trailed by men in suits and cameras. He recognized the reverend but couldnt name the presidential candidate. Then again, he said he likely wouldnt have recognized some of theother 182020 hopefuls anyhow.

I kind of lost interest in politics, he told Yahoo News. When Hillary won the popular vote, but Trump ended up winning the election, it was kind of discouraging.

Jerome, who nonetheless plans on voting in 2020, said Buttigiegs race and sexual orientation didnt matter to him but called it a good thing for Buttigieg to come to Harlem. Hopefully, this is him having good intentions, being genuine and actually seeing what issues black folks care about, said Jerome.

Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg comes to Harlem. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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In Harlem, Al Sharpton tells Pete Buttigieg to be himself

It wasnt about the food.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg barely touched their lunches Monday as they powwowed at historic Sylvias restaurant in Harlem.

The South Bend, Ind., mayor ordered collard greens, fried chicken and sipped on iced tea while Sharpton nibbled at dry toast.

We had a very candid lunch. I asked him about the police issue in South Bend. I asked him about the removal of certain housing in South Bend, Sharpton told reporters. He answered very frankly. He didnt duck any of the issues.

Buttigieg offered a similar take.

I valued the conversation, he said.

The small-town mayor was the second Democratic presidential candidate to pay homage to Sharpton at Sylvias California Sen. Kamala Harris met him at the same restaurant in February.

But Buttigieg took the subway to Harlem.

Most of the top Democratic contenders including Buttigieg spoke at the annual conference of Sharptons National Action Network in March.

Read this article:
Pete Buttigieg, Al Sharpton talk politics during lunch in ...

The Rev. Al Sharpton has been praised as a civil rights icon by prominent figures in politics, and "60 Minutes" reported that he has become President Barack Obama's "go-to black leader."

Sharpton has been frequently in the media for leading protests against grand jury decisions exonerating white policemen in the deaths of unarmed African-Americans in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York.

But many in the mainstream media have sought to downplay the negatives surrounding the firebrand minister, who has been accused of being a rabble-rouser out for personal gain, including:

1. When Sharpton sought involvement in the funeral of Akai Gurley, an African-American shot dead in November by a rookie police officer in the darkened stairwell of a housing project in Brooklyn, New York, Gurley's family told him to stay away.

Sharpton held a news conference condemning the cop and promised to deliver a eulogy at the wake. But Gurley's aunt, who was speaking for his mother, told TMZ: "Al Sharpton came in, put his name on the situation, but has not even made one single call to the parents of Akai," adding that all Sharpton sees "is money and political gain and he is turning the tragedy into a circus."

2. Sharpton has more than $4.5 million in current state and federal tax liens against him and his businesses. His National Action Network has repeatedly failed to pay travel agencies, hotels, and landlords, records show.

3. Sharpton has allegedly sought to keep his nonprofit afloat with money that was supposed to go to payroll taxes, although he contends that the payroll tax shortfall was not intentional.

4. The reverend accused an upstate New York prosecutor, Steven Pagones, of being part of a group of white men who raped teenager Tawana Brawley in 1987. A grand jury found "overwhelming evidence" that the rape allegation had been fabricated. Pagones sued Sharpton for defamation and won a judgment of $65,000. Sharpton reportedly paid the judgment with money raised by his supporters.

5. Sharpton has frequently sparked controversy with his strident language. During a rally in Brooklyn, he called white people "crackers."

6. After a car in a Hasidic rabbi's motorcade killed a 7-year-old black boy in Brooklyn in 1991, Sharpton referred to the Hasidic Jews as "diamond merchants" and said "if the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house." Shortly afterward, an innocent Hasidic Jewish student visiting the area from Australia was set upon by a mob and stabbed to death.

7. In 1995, an African-American Pentecostal church in Harlem, New York, asked a Jewish tenant of one of its properties, Freddie's Fashion Mart, to evict a black-run record store that was subletting part of the property. Sharpton showed up outside Freddie's vowing to a crowd: "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business."

Two weeks before Christmas that year, Freddie's was attacked by a man in the crowd who shot several customers and then set fire to the building with a flammable liquid, killing seven employees. Sharpton subsequently apologized for his "white interloper" remark, but vehemently denied responsibility for the violence.

8. Speaking at a college in 1994, Sharpton referred to gay men as "homos."

9. When Mitt Romney, a Mormon, was running for president in 2007, Sharpton said: "As for the Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyway."

10. In 1990, Sharpton was acquitted of felony charges that he stole $250,000 from his youth group.

11. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for failing to file a state income tax return.

12. State law bars nonprofits from making loans to officers, but Sharpton admitted that his National Action Network had once loaned him money to cover his daughters' tuition.

13. Sharpton was jailed for 90 days in 2001 on trespassing charges stemming from his protest against U.S. military target practice exercises in Puerto Rico.

14. Sharpton worked as a government informant. In 2002, HBO aired a 19-year-old FBI videotape of an undercover sting operation showing Sharpton with an FBI agent posing as a Latin American businessman and a reputed Columbo crime family captain.

Sharpton said in 1988 that he informed for the government in order to stem the flow of crack cocaine into black neighborhoods, although The Smoking Gun alleged that he was paid to be an informant.

15. In December 2005, Sharpton agreed to repay $100,000 in public funds he received for his 2004 presidential campaign, because he had exceeded federal limits on personal expenditures for his campaign.

16. In 2005, Sharpton appeared in three TV commercials for LoanMax, an automobile title loan firm that reportedly charged fees that were the equivalent of 300 percent APR loans.

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Original post:
16 Facts About Al Sharpton the Media Won't Tell You ...