Files Cease-and-Desist Letter over Donnelly Ads
By Hank Russell
The race for Nassau County District Attorney just got nastier as one of the candidates filed a cease-and-desist letter against her opponent’s political party, claiming the accusations made against her are false and without attribution.
Nicole Aloise, who is running for Nassau DA on the Democratic ticket, sent the letter to the Nassau County Republican Committee, claiming these accusations were part of an illegal smear campaign aimed at defending GOP incumbent Anne Donnelly.
Aloise said Donnelly’s statements were unfounded, false and defamatory and said Donnelly is making these statements because she is unable to make a coherent case for reelection due to over three years of mismanagement and incompetence as the DA. Additionally, Aloise said, the ads and mailers, riddled with lies and reckless distortions, are a last-ditch effort to defend a collapsing campaign.
“With Donnelly’s record of driving out career prosecutors, rising crime, botched cases, breaking union contracts, and severed relationships with Nassau’s law enforcement, her only path left is to lie about her opponent. Nassau voters know better, and they deserve an honest District Attorney, not desperate smear tactics,” said Ellen McCormick, Aloise’s campaign manager for Nicole Aloise.
Aloise said the Nassau County and New York State GOP have bankrolled a series of false advertisements that flat-out lie about Aloise’s record and positions – fabricating claims about her stance on cashless bail and the New York City Mayor’s race – with no sourcing or attribution. Aloise emphasized she has consistently opposed cashless bail and publicly rejected Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid and positions several times — facts easily verified in the public record.
The cease-and-desist letter from attorneys representing Aloise’s campaign notes that the statements in the ads:
- contain false and defamatory statements contradicted by readily available facts
- falsely suggest there are facts that are not disclosed to mislead the public
- were made in reckless disregard for the truth to harm Aloise’s reputation
- are actionable by law under defamation standards
In the letter, the attorneys wrote, “Each of the above statements are false and defamatory and belied by facts that are readily available to you…. these statements are clearly actionable in that they suggest facts that are not disclosed. In addition, these statements were made in reckless disregard of the truth since they are contrary to the public record and were specifically done to harm Ms. Aloise’s reputation…Accordingly, you are hereby directed to immediately cease and desist in republishing any of the foregoing statements, and if you do not, legal action may be taken without further notice.”
A New York State spokesperson told The New York Post about Aloise’s accusations, “It would be funny if it wasn’t such a sad commentary on the state of the Democratic Party.”
LILP reached out to the Nassau County GOP for comment and is waiting to hear back.
In addition, Aloise pointed out that she has picked up major endorsements from labor and law enforcement groups, including CSEA 830, which represents Donnelly’s own employees, as well as New York State Troopers, New York State Court Officers, and State Supreme Court Officers and, most recently, the New York Police Department Detectives Association..
The Donnelly campaign responded to her list of endorsements, stating that the incumbent DA has picked up more endorsements than Aloise, among them:
- Nassau County Superior Officers Association
- Nassau County Corrections Officers Benevolent Association
- Nassau County Deputy Sheriffs Benevolent Association
- Nassau County Association of Former Detectives
- The Freeport Police Benevolent Association
- The Nassau Police Conference
- Long Beach Police Benevolent Association
- Lynbrook Police Benevolent Association
- Floral Park Police Benevolent Association
- New York Police Chiefs Benevolent Association
- New York State Police Investigators Association
- Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Sergeants Benevolent Association
“Nicole Aloise is a woke wannabe district attorney who defends ‘cashless bail,’ the Donnelly campaign said in a statement. “That is why the overwhelming majority of police organizations that have made endorsements in the race for Nassau District Attorney have chosen Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly over D.A. wannabe Nicole Aloise.”
During her campaign, Aloise mentioned that 90 assistant DAs have left since Donnelly took office. “Thanks to Anne Donnelly’s mismanagement and incompetence, there’s been a mass exodus of prosecutors, a breakdown in trust from law enforcement, and conviction rates are the lowest they’ve been in a decade,” Aloise said in a previous statement.
In response, the Donnelly campaign responded, “The departure of prosecutors shortly after Anne Donnelly took office, as well as the hiring of new attorneys who share Ms. Donnelly’s vision is consistent with the transfer of power in the offices of top prosecutors. The new team has been highly successful. … Moreover, Ms. Aloise is simply ignoring the facts that D.A. Donnelly has been taking down MS-13, prosecuting political corruption (George Santos and others) and making Nassau a safe and great place to live, work and raise a family. Ms. Aloise, on the other hand, has never led a division in a D.A.’s Office, let alone manage an entire D.A.’s Office.”