http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_118/lopeztalksabout.htmlMargarita Lopez is under fire for taking contributions from Scientology while giving funds to the group’s Downtown detox center, and is also at risk of losing public matching funds because of unresolved problems with her 2001 funds. Yet, the East Side councilmember, in a lengthy telephone interview on Monday, claimed she has done no wrong and expressed confidence in her campaign for borough president.
Lopez blasted back at the New York Post — which broke the story of her Scientology contributions and has editorialized against her about it — calling it a “destructive” newspaper out to get her because she is a progressive.
“I know there is a big effort not to allow me to run,” she said. “These articles the Post put out are just witch hunting, allegations, innuendos. My politics is progressive politics and the Post has the opposite position. Everything they publish is about destroying people’s lives. I care less about their opinion.”
In addition, while she said she didn’t know of Scientology having any antigay bias, as gay and lesbian groups contend, it can’t be worse than that of most traditional organized religions. “You need to ask that to the organization, not to me,” she said. “And you need to ask that to the Catholic Church, Pentecostal Church, Lutheran Church and all the churches that are antigay.”
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