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"The Buffalo Evening News has once again proven how the mainstream media works overtime to manipulate public opinion, leveraging baseless guilt-by-association tactics. The recent hit piece on me is not journalism; it’s a thinly veiled attempt to discredit me for the actions of someone else. "
"Everyone who knows me understands that I have always respected religious freedom. Our Country was founded on the principle of Religious Freedom for all. As a Member of the Assembly and as a man of faith I encourage and support the right of every person to worship as they chose and to build their own relationship with God. "
"It goes without saying that I love my Catholic family. I was born and raised as a Catholic, attended Catholic school. I have nothing but love and reverence for Mary the Mother of Jesus as being chosen by God. She is literally the mother of Jesus Christ, the base of my religious views. To suggest otherwise is simply not true."
"The national tragedy that happened on 9/11 was horrible and to politicize the death of the victims is despicable. I’m proud to say that each year on the anniversary of that day I speak out and participate in events to honor the victims and to stand with the families of the slain. I have always fought for, empathized, sympathized, cried for, cried with the families of 9/11 and the fallen first responders, some of whom are still suffering and dying to this day. According to sources, some families devastated by 9/11 have reached out to them stating they’re hurt by these allegations. Those families were told a lie about my involvement in this matter, and it was wildly irresponsible to perpetuate their pain. I encourage any family who has been impacted to reach out to me for clarification and to allow me to express my sincerest condolences and sorrow for what they’ve been through.
I voted for the 9/11 Notice Act to Support Forgotten Victims. I voted for a bill that authorizes the observance of September 11th Remembrance Day and provides for a brief period of silence on that day. Just to name a few. "
"In America the right of free speech is guaranteed by our constitution. Michael A. Cesar’s controversial remarks are his own and any attempt to pin them on me by using guilt by association is just plain wrong. Let me be very clear that I don’t agree with Mr. Cesar’s rhetoric regarding these issues."
"What the Buffalo Evening News is really doing here is not new—it’s the liberal media’s standard playbook. If they can’t find dirt on someone, they create it by association. They want to intimidate and silence any voice that doesn’t align with their leftist agenda. The Buffalo News, and ANYONE who shares the rhetoric that I hate Catholics, and anyone hurt by 9/11 are lying because they ran out of relevance. The Buffalo News is known for being a biased, one-sided slanderous propaganda machine. They sell to the highest democrat bidder. That won’t work with me. I have always stood up for our constitution and for the people it protects."
Pastor Al Robinson of LoveJoy Church in Buffalo, NY stated the following in a recent letter:
"The Buffalo Evening News has once again proven how the mainstream media works overtime to manipulate public opinion, leveraging baseless guilt-by-association tactics. The recent hit piece on David DiPietro is not journalism; it’s a thinly veiled attempt to silence a man for the actions of someone else.
Breaking Down the Attack:
The crux of this article is simple: pin Pastor Michael Cesar’s personal views onto DiPietro. But let’s examine the facts:
1. Lack of Substantial Connection:
The article painstakingly tries to link DiPietro to Pastor Cesar by pointing out that he gave Cesar a platform and funds. But here’s the reality: funding a pastor’s event or sharing a platform doesn’t equate to endorsing every personal belief that pastor holds. This guilt-by-association ploy is intellectually dishonest and reckless. It’s like saying a politician who speaks at a church automatically subscribes to every theological or ideological stance of that church’s pastor.
Takeaway: David DiPietro is not responsible for the views of everyone he shares a stage with. The media must stop pretending that proximity equals endorsement.
2. The Misrepresentation of Free Speech:
The article focuses heavily on Cesar’s remarks regarding Muslims, Catholics, and Hindus. While some may find his words offensive, this country is founded on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The media has no right to imply that DiPietro supports bigotry simply because someone he’s associated with exercises their constitutional right to free speech. Do we no longer live in a country where people can disagree?
Takeaway: The article attempts to conflate free speech with endorsement, a common tactic to stir outrage without substantive evidence.
3. Liability by Association is Not Journalism:
Robert Gavin and the Buffalo Evening News attempt to stretch the truth by presenting DiPietro as guilty simply by association. This is not investigative journalism—it’s a tabloid hit job. They fail to provide any evidence that DiPietro shares Cesar’s controversial views. In fact, they don’t even claim that DiPietro made such remarks himself. This is what we call slander through insinuation. The true purpose of this piece is to take down DiPietro for political reasons, not to inform the public.
Takeaway: If the writer were serious about journalism, he would have focused on DiPietro’s record, his policies, and his actual statements. Instead, we’re treated to character assassination based on someone else’s words.
Exposing the Media’s True Agenda:
What the Buffalo Evening News is really doing here is not new—it’s the liberal media’s standard playbook. If they can’t find dirt on someone, they create it by association. They want to intimidate and silence any voice that doesn’t align with their leftist agenda. They’re hoping that by smearing DiPietro, they’ll scare others away from defending Christian values, traditional morals, and free speech.
Call to Action:
We, as the public, must see through these tactics. The Buffalo Evening News wants to make an example out of DiPietro, but we won’t be fooled. David DiPietro stands for the people, and he cannot be silenced by the weaponization of the media. If they’re coming after him today, it means they’ll come after you tomorrow. It’s time to reject this blatant character assassination and demand better from our media."
Pastor and Mrs. Willie O'Dell from Hunters Creek Bible Baptist Church also wrote the following statement:
"I wish to address a recent story in the Buffalo News regarding NYS Assemblyman David DiPietro’s association with Amherst Pastor Michael Cesar.
I am not going to address Cesar’s comments as reported in the story, as I was not there personally, and things are often taken out of context. Rather, I am appalled by the “guilt by association” that prevails throughout this story.
My husband and I have known David DiPietro and his family for many years, even before David and his wife were married. I have always known him to be a person of integrity. Since his decision to accept Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation, David has endeavored to walk in Christ’s path. He has opened himself up for public opposition in standing for what is right, and trying to make New York State a better place to live and do business.
Where David and his family choose to attend church is not something that should be up for criticism. One’s walk with his God is a deeply personal thing.
I dare say that David does not agree 100% on every position his pastor holds, or every word he reportedly uses. Who does? Just because another person says or does something does not mean that you wholeheartedly endorse and agree with everything that person has said.
Even my husband and I do not totally agree on every subject. We agree to disagree, respecting the fact that each has his or her own opinion, as well as ways to express those opinions. We don’t “throw the baby out with the bath water.”
David has spent his life in the political arena trying to do right, and to do good. His Facebook account is filled with stories where David has given recognition, citations, funding, and best wishes to various organizations, including churches other than his own. He does his very best to be a support to, and represent, every citizen in his district.
Don’t be fooled by an attempt to make a dedicated lawmaker and representative, as well as a wonderful family man, a pariah with “guilt by association.” God help us all, if we are judged by the words and actions of everyone we are in contact with, as reported by a third party.
As a recent quote I saw on Facebook recently said, “We aren’t called to be like other Christians; we are called to be like Christ."
Jeffrey Damien Cappella, writes a spirited defense of Assemblyman DiPietro below:
"Standing Against Media Bias: A Veteran’s Defense of Assemblyman
DiPietro and Call for Integrity
My name is Jeffrey Damien Cappella. I am a disabled United States Army
veteran of Ground Zero and a public policy analyst trained in national
security, strategic and counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and
political warfare. In recent years, my efforts have included providing
assistance to our Ukrainian, Israeli, and Taiwanese allies.
I am also the founder and president of the Soldiers to Statesmen
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated in part to protecting
my fellow soldiers from being exploited by left-wing advocacy
professors who, tragically, occupy and undermine our universities.
On a personal note, I am a member of the LGBT community. I grew up in
an openly gay household in the 1980s and was one of the volunteers in
the AIDS vaccine test study conducted by VaxGen from 1998 to 2002.
Additionally, I am married to a wonderful woman whose family practices
Sunni Islam.
The reason I share these personal details is in response to the
advocacy journalism centering on identity politics and its reliance on
cherry-picked comments taken out of context—comments that some in the
mainstream media have weaponized to attack Assemblyman DiPietro, a man
I have had the honor of knowing for over a decade.
Throughout the past ten years, Assemblyman DiPietro has consistently
proven himself to be a deeply principled individual. His decency runs
the gamut from unwavering support for my fellow soldiers and
servicemen to defending the vulnerable, including the unborn. What’s
even more impressive is that his decency transcends partisan divides.
While he holds strong convictions on the issues he champions, to the
best of my knowledge, Dave has never allowed those deeply held beliefs
to undermine his civility toward those who consider themselves his
opponents.
It is disheartening to witness the mainstream media’s dishonest
attempts to manipulate public sentiment by co-opting vulnerable
demographics and the challenges they face, all in the hopes of scoring
cheap political points with a manufactured 'October surprise.' The
media's attempts at ethical and emotional hijacking become even more
distasteful when these same institutions have spent decades attacking
and mocking these very groups.
Where was this concern when my fellow soldiers were falsely called
'baby killers' and 'murderers' during the Global War on Terror? Where
was the media’s defense of Catholics and Christians when their faith
was under attack, often by members of the LGBT community co-opted and
weaponized by the predatory left? Did any in the media condemn the
supporters of Hamas on our campuses after the terrorist attack on our
ally Israel on October 7th? The selective application of the media’s
so-called 'concern' is telling, and their hypocritical silence is
deafening.
In closing, I am not going to pretend that the comments made by
Minister Caser (assuming the media’s portrayal of them is accurate)
were not off-color or, in some cases, hurtful. However, what is more
troubling is the advocacy journalism conducted by a biased mainstream
media—outlets that, for years, brazenly demanded understanding for
radical leftists engaged in political violence, only to abandon those
calls for understanding when it suits their agenda. Such advocacy
journalism not only lacks integrity but also serves to further
polarize our society at a time when the increasingly dangerous
geopolitical environment demands unity."
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