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‘Irate’ man arrested for threats against Trump supporters, local politician

By Shant Shahrigian

July 7, 2018 | 9:28am

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Martin AstrofSuffolk County Police Department

A Long Island man was arrested Friday for threatening to kill supporters of President Donald Trump and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin – then nearly hitting a Zeldin campaign staffer with his car, according to Suffolk County police. It was the latest in a string of attacks against the administration and its allies.

Martin Astrof, 75, of Nesconset, “became irate” at the Suffolk County campaign headquarters of Rep. Lee Zeldin at 11:15 a.m. Friday, local police said.

He threatened to kill a campaign worker, as well as other Zeldin and Trump supporters – then “backed his car up in an aggressive manner nearly striking the worker,” according to authorities.

Astrof fled the scene and was arrested at his home Friday afternoon. He was expected to be arraigned Saturday on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, and on second-degree reckless endangerment charges.

Zeldin, a fervent Trump backer, decried the attack on Friday night.

“In the US, political scores are settled at the ballot box, not by trying to kill your political opponents,” he tweeted. “Donato Panico is a great American, supporter of @realDonaldTrump & one of my campaign vols. He shouldn’t have been targeted like this today for his passion & involvement.”

Panico, a former deli owner from Smithtown, was Zeldin’s guest at Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year, in recognition of his efforts to feed Ground Zero workers in the aftermath of 9/11.

In another tweet, Zeldin identified Astrof as “a NY-1 Dem.”

“Ppl shouldn’t fear death or serious injury for backing their Pres & Rep.,” he wrote.

On Monday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) said that he and his family had received threatsfrom a person who said they would be “chopped up” in an ax attack. A suspect was later arrested.

Both incidents come at a time of heightened political tension, since Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) goaded followers to “push back” on Trump administration members when they appear in public. “Tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” she said on June 23.