BY SCOTT LEFFLER
scott.leffler@allwnynews.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A major Congressional hearing today had a hint of Western New York in it as former Trump campaign aid, WBEN talk show host and local public relations executive Michael Caputo’s name was brought into the discussion by Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
The hearing served dual purposes — discussing the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia and the president’s allegations that former President Barack Obama had ordered surveillance on the then-Republican candidate for president.
Speier, D-Calif., asked F.B.I. Director James Comey if the Trump campaign hiring Caputo had anything to do with Caputo having worked previously in Russia.
Asked for a comment on the hearing, Caputo directed All WNY News to a post he made on Twitter this afternoon:
Congresswoman @JackieSpeier has it all wrong. There’s no substance whatsoever to her politically motivated insinuations about me. pic.twitter.com/0mxbOjkh1T— That Michael Caputo (@MichaelRCaputo) March 20, 2017
Caputo, you may recall, was just in the news as the man who raised money for a pro-Chris Collins billboard to replace one that was critical of the Republican Congressman.
Prior to working on the Trump campaign, he worked for Jack Kemp’s presidential run, was Carl Paladino’s campaign manager and had also worked on Boris Yeltsin’s election efforts in Russia — part of the reasoning for Speier’s questioning.
At last check, Caputo remained combative on Twitter in replies to the post above.