Abe George Drops D.A. Bid, Endorses Ken Thompson

Abe George, the former prosecutor challenging Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, dropped out of the race this morning to endorse candidate Ken Thompson.

George, in a statement, said he was "enthusiastically" backing Thompson for the position over the entrenched Hynes. 

“Ken is a man of integrity and justice who will fight to end the pattern of wrongful convictions and prosecutorial misconduct that has tainted the D.A.’s office," George said in a statement. "We now have a clear choice, and I will work hard to ensure that Ken Thompson is elected this September.”

Thompson said he was thrilled to have George's support in attempting to topple Hynes, who has been Brooklyn District Attorney since 1990.

"Together, we will make our communities safer and stronger; we will fight to ensure that innocent New Yorkers are not locked up for crimes they didn’t commit, and that prosecutors are held accountable — not promoted — when they violate the public trust," Thompson said. "I look forward to working side by side with Abe to bring new leadership to the Brooklyn D.A.’s office."

Hynes' spokesman George Arzt told the New York Daily News that the endorsement, along with George's decision to drop out, was little more than an aspirational political ploy. 

"This is Tammany-style backroom dealing at its worst. It doesn't pass the smell test," Arzt told the paper.