Good News, Ladies: Face-Slashing Pol Now Looking for Love

Come and get him, girls. He's quite the catch. You just may want to keep on your toes and watch it when he comes after you with a broken beer bottle.

He's back -- on the prowl.

Former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate -- who was charged with slashing girlfriend Karla Giraldo in the face with a broken drinking glass in 2008 -- has dumped her to dive back into the dating pool.

The pudgy, disgraced Queens Dem made it known he was no longer with Giraldo -- who stood by him after his conviction for assaulting her -- during a May 6 private party on Central Park South, where he tried out some lame, old pickup lines on some fresh, young faces.

"I'm single now," he cooed to two female partygoers almost half his age.

And the movie buff is hot to trot.

He said he wanted to take a sweetie to see "Iron Man 2" before it's out of theaters.

Despite being booted from the Senate in February and rebuffed by voters in a comeback bid in March, Monserrate still hands out his state Senate business cards to prospective dates -- but with the old phone numbers crossed out and his current digits penciled in.

Last week, he kept it flirty with one of the 20-somethings he met at the party, a Post reporter who later requested a formal interview with him.

"I'd like to date," said the divorced dad of one. "I'm looking for a good Christian woman who's good company. I want to settle down and have kids."

When the reporter said she was non-Christian, he hinted that accommodations could be made.

He also seemed to delight at poking fun at her weight.

"You're too thin," he teased.

But that didn't stop him from asking for a date.

"You said I was too thin," the woman replied.

"I can fatten you up," he shot back.

Who wouldn't want to date such a classy guy?

No, You Can't

Looks like the Obama folks don't like being associated with convicted Democrats, in this case thug former New York State Senator Hiram Monseratte.

O, no, you don't!

Former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate is getting heat from President Obama's grass-roots political organization for using the president's well-worn logo and slogan in his bid to get his Queens seat back.

"Re-elect Senator Monserrate," splashes the literature for the candidate, without mentioning that he's no longer in office. "Special election March 16."

Below it is the line, "Yes we can . . . Si se puede!"

"Yes we can!" was made famous by Obama during his two-year quest for the presidency.

But Organizing for America, the grassroots group that's become the Obama arm of the Democratic National Committee, wants to stop Monserrate.

"The use of the logo is neither approved nor supported by Organizing for America. The campaign did not seek nor do they have permission to use it. We are asking them to remove it from their materials," said a spokesman for Organizing for America in a statement first reported by Politico.

A Monserrate spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Post first reported recently that Monserrate had latched onto the slogan for himself.

Monserrate, a former NPYD cop and city councilman, was booted from the Senate on Feb. 9 by his colleagues following his conviction for misdemeanor assault on his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo.

He was charged with slashing her face with a broken glass and dragging her down the hallway and stairs to a hospital outside his district.

He was not convicted on the felony charge stemming from the slashing -- which he maintained was an accident that happened when he tripped and fell while carrying a glass.

In a rather humorous touch, Monseratte's people displayed a special brand of tone deafness.

Meanwhile, Monserrate is set to formally announce his candidacy today -- at an event that was clumsily previewed by his own team.

"FORMER SENATOR HIRAM MONSERRATE UNVEILS PLAN AND OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY AFTER STABBING," read the e-mail.

It was a reference to a violent incident in the district over the weekend.

Monseratte Gets the Boot

Even New York's Democrats realize what a lowlife this guy is and have wisely sent him packing.

Embattled state Sen. Hiram Monserrate was ousted from his seat Tuesday night by colleagues who say his conviction for misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend brought shame on the chamber.

Disgusted Democrats and Republicans joined together 53-8 to make Monserrate the fourth sitting state lawmaker ever expelled - and the first since 1861.

"Sen. Monserrate's abusive and unlawful conduct damages the integrity of the New York state Senate and demonstrates a lack of fitness to serve in this body," Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) said after the vote.

Monserrate said he expects to be a senator for "many, many years" and promised an immediate legal challenge, maintaining it's up to the voters to judge him.

"This is clearly a much, much bigger issue than just me," he told his now former colleagues during a 16-minute floor speech. "This is about the process and the rule of law.

No, it's not a bigger issue than you. The issue is you. Your colleagues apparently want nothing to do with a guy who beats up women and slashes them with beer bottles.

Man up and move on. Your political career is over.

Violent, Woman-Beating Democrat: I'm Like Slain Civil Rights Workers or Something

You've been found guilty of slashing your girlfriend's face with a beer bottle, you refuse to go away, your own party is so inept they've not even booted you from office so now what do you do? Why, compare your plight with that of murdered civil rights workers.

Man, is this guy shameless.

Convicted girlfriend beater Hiram Monserrate on Sunday compared himself to murdered civil rights workers as he stepped up the fight to keep his state Senate seat.

Claiming he was targeted because he is Latino, Monserrate announced that civil rights lawyers Norman Siegel and Steve Hyman would take his case.

"Students from the college that I went to died to help African-Americans have the right to vote," Monserrate said. "Today, the Senate would seek to push back the clock and discredit the major movement that occurred here in the United States to protect the rights of all Americans."

Monserrate was "targeted" becasue he was caught on video throwing a beating on his girlfriedn who was desperately trying to flee after he ripped her face open with a broken beer bottle. The fact he's Latino has nothing to do with it.

Monserrate (D-Queens), who last summer likened himself to Jesus Christ, is fighting expulsion from the Senate after his October misdemeanor assault conviction for abusing girlfriend Karla Giraldo.

A Senate committee headed by Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) found Monserrate unremorseful and recommended the Senate either expel or censure him.

Monserrate has vowed to fight expulsion with a lawsuit.

I expect these cowardly Democrats to censure him, as if that means anything.

Monserrate somewhat mischaracterized history when he claimed four Queens College students died in the 1964 freedom rides. Three civil rights workers were killed during the rides, only one of whom had attended Queens College, his alma mater.

Monserrate insisted the students died to defend the right of voters to keep him in office.

So some students murdered 46 years ago somehow magically were transformed back in time to preserve the right of a vicious woman-beater to remain in office?

Huh?

NY State Senate Dem Convicted of Assault, May Stay in Office

Get this man a Nobel Peace Prize.

State Sen. Hiram Monserrate was convicted of misdemeanor assault Thursday for attacking his girlfriend - but cleared of felony counts that would have forced him from office.

"Yes!" a Monserrate supporter yelled in the crowded and tense Queens courtroom when Supreme Court Justice William Erlbaum said the ex-cop had skated on the most serious charges.

Monserrate didn't betray a smile. He continued to look grim as the early jubilation of his supporters gave way to somber silence.

Outside, Monserrate stuck by his claim that the nasty gash prosecutors charged he left on girlfriend Karla Giraldo's face with a broken glass was the result of "a terrible accident."

Monserrate called Giraldo, who was not in the courtroom, "a person who I love."

"I have to live with that forever," he said. "There are no winners here today."

Although Monserrate faces a year in jail when he is sentenced Dec. 4, his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said he probably won't serve a day.

"On a reckless misdemeanor, first offense, he won't go to jail," the lawyer said.

Monserrate also may be able hang on to his Senate seat - a prospect that galled Councilman Eric Gioia, who was the first Democrat out of the gate demanding that Monserrate resign.

"There is no room in government or in the Democratic Party for people who commit such heinous crimes against women," he said. "Elected officials should rightfully be held to a higher standard."

Has Gioia ever heard of Ted Kennedy?

Previous on Monserrate.

NYS Senator Flips Back to Democrats

They can have him.

Could there be cracks in the Albany coup? A judge is expected to issue a ruling Monday on just who's in charge up in Albany. But there's word that a key player in the chaotic political power struggle may be changing his mind, again.

It would be a flip-flip of monstrous proportions.

Renegade Democratic New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate, who just last week turned his back on his own party to help Republicans seize power, is apparently changing his mind once again.

That "about face", according to the Daily News, would effectively create a 31-31 deadlock in the Senate. And further adding to the drama, a New York State Supreme Court Judge could declare this afternoon whether the Republican takeover is legal.

As far as I'm concerned, there shouldn't be any room in the GOP for men who bash their girlfriends in the head with a beer bottle.

Apparently the Democrats have no problems with criminals in the midst. They even brought out the heavy-hitters to twist some arms, apparently.

Monserrate told me he made the decision to switch back after a string of meetings he held all day Sunday with key Democrats, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Gov. Paterson, Sampson and Brooklyn state Sen. Eric Adams.

Meanwhile, the body count rises, as Democrats have fired their floor counsel after he was rolled last week and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver threatens to take his ball and go home if the kids don't start playing nice.

Just another day in the nation's most dysfunctional political body.

Confusion Reigns in Albany; Shocking News About Coup Leader

The clowns are running the show in Albany. Only at this juncture nobody can say with any certainty which clowns.

Confusion gripped the Capitol and the Senate chamber remained dark yesterday, as Democrats feverishly scrambled to regain control after a Republican coup knocked them out of the box.

Deposed Senate leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) accused the Democratic mutineers of rank extortion and influence peddling.

The fast-paced, never-before-seen developments at the Capitol yesterday included:

* Senate business -- usually at a fever pitch in June -- ground to a halt yesterday while Democrats mulled legal action to delay a session scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

* Rumors swirled that a handful of other Democratic lawmakers were preparing to defect to the Republicans.

* The White House even jumped into the fray, trying to save Democratic control of the state Senate.

* More chaos loomed with the GOP threatening to hold a session in a public park near the Capitol today if Democrats failed to hand over keys to the gilded chamber.

"There is no constitutional requirement that we'll meet in that room," said Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., the Bronx Democrat who defected along with Hiram Monserrate of Queens to give the GOP a 32-30 working majority. "We'll just have to take it outside."

Meanwhile, Fred Dicker says Paterson has gotten what he's deserved.

The breathtaking coup that appears to have ousted Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith could claim what remains of Gov. Paterson's political career.

Not only is Paterson's record-high, tax-and-spend budget being blamed for pushing two Senate Democrats into the ranks of the Republicans, his claims to be a fiscally prudent government reformer are about to be put to the test in a way that could not have been imagined just a few days ago.

The new Republican/Democratic alliance that voted Monday to remove Smith is preparing to vote over the next two weeks on a range of conservative-oriented reforms, including a cap on state spending, a cap on local school property taxes, and the re-establishment of the popular STAR property tax rebates, which were abolished by Paterson's budget.

The problem for the unelected Paterson, who polls show is the most unpopular governor in the nation, is that he's proposed and supported both tax caps -- but he did so at a time when he was certain that neither would pass a Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Still, for my money the biggest shock to come out of this mess, orchestrated by Tom Golisano?

Dig this.

AMID all the chaos in Albany, the upstate billionaire at the center of the state Senate upheaval yesterday coyly confirmed he's dating tennis great Monica Seles.

Buffalo Sabres owner and upstate king-maker Thomas Golisano, 67 -- credited with convincing two rogue Democratic senators to join forces with the GOP -- has been spotted for months squiring around Seles, 35.

When asked yesterday if the two were a pair, the normally unflappable Paychex founder -- who was making the interview rounds all over the state capital -- seemed taken aback.

"Why do you want to know?" said Golisano, clearly more comfortable talking policy than romance.

Finally, the thrice-divorced Golisano told The Post's Jennifer Fermino, "Monica and I see each other."

The May-December pair first raised eyebrows last year, when Golisano brought her to a ceremony recognizing his $10 million donation to Niagara University.

He also brought Seles to a Sabres game, where the Tennis Hall of Famer sat with him and former President Bill Clinton. And, when asked in a Forbes.com article last fall what the coolest number in his cellphone was, Golisano crowed, "Monica Seles.' "

'It's Despicable What Happened Here Today'

That's the reaction of the hapless accidental governor of New York and after two rogue Democrats switched allegiances and joining with the GOP voting bloc Monday. I must admit, it is rather distasteful.

An unprecedented revolt sparked by two renegade Democrats yesterday ousted Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and returned Republicans to power in the state Senate, rocking the Capitol and dealing a severe blow to Gov. Paterson.

Thirty Senate Republicans were joined by scandal-scarred Democrats Pedro Espada Jr. of The Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens to form a majority in the 62-member chamber.

The action came on an unexpected motion by Republican Sen. Thomas Libous of Binghamton.

Libous stunned the Senate chamber when he rose and announced a resolution naming Espada the new Senate president.

The motion also restored Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) to the post of majority leader.

The historic maneuver left Senate Democrats, who in January took the majority for the first time since 1965, slack-jawed and powerless.

And it stunned Paterson.

"It's despicable what happened here today," said the governor last night, bristling and occasionally slamming his open palm on a lectern as he appeared briefly before reporters.

"When do we get around to governing?"

Well, Dave, you did have the past 15 months and didn't quite accomplish much. Although as noted yesterday, the fact the GOP has to bring on two very shady Democrats in order to gain a majority reeks of desperation.

How sleazy are these two? Behold:

Meet the two Democratic turncoats who handed control of the state Senate back to the Republicans: One's been charged with slashing his girlfriend, while the other is being probed in a funding scam.

Pedro Espada Jr., who represents The Bronx but actually lives in tony Mamaroneck -- is a serial party-switcher who's implicated in state-funding shenanigans involving his nonprofit health-care company.

Hiram Monserrate of Queens was indicted for allegedly slashing his girlfriend in the face with a broken glass.

Espada has a long history of being a renegade and displaying party disloyalty. Three workers at a firm he runs, the Soundview Health Care Network, pleaded guilty in 2005 to diverting $30,000 from programs for family care and AIDS treatment to his political campaign. He was not charged.

Earlier, Espada was caught red-handed attempting to steer $745,000 in grants to his outfit.

In 1998, Espada was accused of attempting to direct $260,000 in Medicaid funds from his firm to his political campaign. He was acquitted of the charges.

Monserrate, a former city councilman and ex-cop who had a stormy relationship with the NYPD, was charged with six counts of assaulting his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo. She needed 20 stitches over her left eye.

Security cameras in his apartment complex show Monserrate dragging her out of the building on Dec. 19. The same cameras show her desperately banging on a neighbor's door seeking help during the incident, just a month after his election to the Senate.

Does the NY GOP have any standard of decency?

If you want to consider anyone a winner in this fiasco, feel free. They're all a bunch of pathetic losers who deserve each other in the entirely dysfunctional state.

GOP Seizes Control of NY State Senate

Is the New York State GOP that hard up they'll take the vote of a Democrat under indictment for felony assault and another currently under campaign finance investigation?

Apparently so.

Republicans appear to have retaken control of the state Senate this afternoon after two dissident Democrats crossed the aisle in a parliamentary coup.

"An historic change in leadership is taking place at this moment and a new bipartisan, coalition is being established that is bringing real reform to the Senate RIGHT NOW," according to a news advisory sent out by the GOP.

The Associated Press reported that two Democrats -- Hiram Monserrate of Queens and Pedro Espada, Jr. of the Bronx -- are poised to announce that they have decided to caucus with the GOP out of anger at Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.

The flip gives Republicans a 32-30 edge in the chamber and ensures that Smith is longer the majority leader.

I have to question what the GOP is thinking here. You really want to be associated with the likes of Hiram Monserrate?

Hello?

Espada, meanwhile, at least didn't (allegedly) whack his girlfriend upside the head with a beer bottle. He's only taking heat for some financial chicanery.

Democrats, naturally, are outrageously outraged.

Democrats said they plan to take the fight to court.

In a statement sent out by Smith's office, a spokesman called the move "illegal and unlawful"

"Nothing has changed, Senator Malcolm A. Smith remains the duly elected Temporary President and Majority Leader," the spokesman added. "The real Senate Majority is anxious to get back to governing, and will take immediate steps to get us back to work."

In no small irony, today's coup looks like it was hatched by newly-minted Florida resident Tom Golisano.

Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano apparently helped lead today’s coup in the Senate, emerging from the chamber after the vote.

Golisano has been critical of Senate Democrats since they took control in January, even after Golisano pumped millions into the Democrats bid to win control of the chamber in November.

Name That Party! NY State Senator Hit With Felony Assault Charges

You would figure somewhere in this 11-paragraph story they'd find room to identify the party he belongs to. Apparently for CBS2 the fact he's a Democrat isn't relevant.

New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate was indicted Monday morning on a felony assault charge in Queens after allegedly attacking his girlfriend during an argument, CBS 2 has confirmed.

Monserrate, a former New York City councilman who was sworn into office as Senator in January despite the looming charge, will be arraigned later this week.

Monserrate was charged with assault and weapon possession after Karla Giraldo's face was slashed on Dec. 19 at his Queens home. Both Monserrate and Giraldo say the incident was an accident -- Monserrate told police that he tripped while holding a glass of water and that the glass accidentally hit her. The Queens district attorney's office said the case is pending.

But authorities say evidence, including surveillance videos, paints a more violent picture of a heated argument and a frightened, bleeding woman in distress. Investigators say Monserrate purposely smashed her face with broken glass in an apparent jealous rage.

The videos come from several cameras in the apartment building. The first shows the two arguing and Monserrate throwing a policeman's union card down a garbage chute, according to a law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

ABC7 doesn't find his part affiliation newsworthy either. To their credit, the New York Times identifies his party.

As the NY Post notes, Democrats thought so little of this brutal assault they rewarded this monster with a chairmanship.

Meanwhile, Monserrate was sworn in to office in January, part of an influx of new lawmakers who helped Democrats gain control of the Senate for the first time in four decades. He was also appointed chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee. Some lawmakers (read: Republicans) and women's groups criticized the decision to seat the freshman Democrat, saying he should not be sworn in until the criminal case was resolved.

Previously.

Stop the Presses! NOW Upset With NY Democrats

This has to be a first. All these years the lovely ladies at the National Organization for Women have studiously looked the other way when Democrats have been accused of sexual malfeasance (see Clinton, William Jefferson) while mercilessly hounding Republicans who are merely alleged to have roaming hands (see Packwood, Bob).

Now while the case of Hiram "Jagged Edge" Monserrate is limited to a brutal assault and not sexual battery, we figured the fact he's a Democrat shielded him from criticism from these pioneers of women's rights.

So imagine my shock to see this press release from the New York chapter decrying Monserrate for slashing his girlfriend while also chastising other Democrats for seating him this week.

According to a January 7, 2009 report by Daily News, a "Queens state senator who denies beating his girlfriend was caught on security cameras dragging the scared, bleeding woman from his apartment."

NOW-New York State is demanding answers from the New York State Democratic leadership. By all accounts, Hiram Monserrate, also accused of cutting his girlfriend with a broken glass, does not deserve a seat in the NYS Senate. Further, Monserratte's appointment as the Chair of the Consumer Protection Committee is a slap in the face for every woman in New York State. Does the NYS leadership really believe that rewarding Monserrate will win them points in the minds of voters?

Domestic violence is a crime. No person should be awarded a position of power while such heinous charges are pending. NOW-NYS calls upon Governor Paterson, Senator Majority Malcolm Smith, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to take appropriate steps to address this problem. If they do not, they are also guilty.

Oooh. Granted, the ladies are a wee bit late to this story which we first noted three weeks ago, and seevral times since, but at least they're finally paying attention to the rank odor emanating from Albany.

Savor the Change: NY Democrats Swear In State Senator Facing Charges for Brutally Assaulting Girlfriend

Nobody circles the wagons like Democrats when their own face criminal charges. Today the fine folks in Albany swore in as state senator Hiram "Jagged Edge" Monseratte, who celebrated the holidays by ripping his girlfriend's face open with broken glass. Nothing like being politically expedient when you have the opportunity to be in the majority.

Hiram Monserrate has been sworn in as a New York state senator. Authorities in New York City continue to investigate reports that he viciously attacked his girlfriend during an argument.

Monserrate, who took office Wednesday, vehemently denies the charges.

Both the former New York City councilman and his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, say her Dec. 19 injuries resulted from an accident.

Monserrate told police that he tripped and accidentally hit her with a glass of water.

Oh, sure. She tripped. According to an earlier report, this ACLU board member use a beer bottle, not a glass.

His weak argument that she tripped may be demolished entirely by the news he stars on video where he's dragging her out of the apartment by her hair. Good luck, Hiram!

A Queens state senator who denies beating his girlfriend was caught on security cameras dragging the scared, bleeding woman from his apartment, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.

Newly elected Sen. Hiram Monserrate "will be convicted by the security video" taken in the hallway and outside his Jackson Heights apartment after he allegedly slashed Karla Giraldo in a jealous rage, sources said.

"No one can look at the security video and think that this was an accident," said a law enforcement source who saw the footage. "The woman looks scared out of her mind and trying to get away from this guy."

The video shows Giraldo grabbing the apartment's front door as Monserrate tried to drag her out of the building, sources said.

Other video clips show Giraldo clutching a towel to her injured left eye and banging on the door of a neighbor's apartment for help, sources said.

That neighbor, Carolyn Loudon, 46, said Tuesday she heard Giraldo banging on her door but was too scared to open it.

She said she is used to noise coming from Monserrate's unit, but the ruckus was worse than usual on Dec. 19.

"It was frightening," Loudon said. "I heard screaming and then banging on the door."

Season's Beatings: Unhinged Democrat Edition

We played Name That Party the other day when New York Democrat Hiram Monserrate was busted for slashing his girlfriend in the face with a beer bottle. Well, it turns out the mere sight of another man's business card sent the loony liberal into a volcanic rage.

So nice to see these Democrats comporting themselves like adults.

State Sen.-elect Hiram Monserrate flew into a volcanic rage and attacked his girlfriend after seeing another man's business card in her purse, sources told The Post yesterday.

The law-enforcement sources also believe that the jealous Monserrate was so angry that he deliberately broke a glass into jagged pieces so he could slash Karla Giraldo, who required 20 stitches around her left eye following the alleged domestic-violence assault.

Sources said her wound is consistent with a jagged piece of glass tearing into her skin.

Investigators have seen the business card and who it belongs to and consider it potential evidence in the case.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that a top aide to Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith showed up at the police station to offer assistance to Monserrate, a fellow Democrat, on the morning he was busted.

Smith's office confirmed that Chief of Staff Mortimer Lawrence - a former Queens assistant DA - went to the 105th Precinct station house in Queens Village to help Monserrate, but insisted Smith did not direct him to do so.

"[Lawrence] was there on his own volition to see how he could help an incoming member of the Senate," said Smith spokesman Austin Shaffran.

"He did not do anything to try to intervene on Mr. Monserrate's behalf. He did not speak to Monserrate at the precinct. Nor was his appearance at the direction of Senator Smith," Shaffran said.

Nah, those Dems would never try and help keep something like this hush-hush. I'm sure he was just there to help offer some solace to this deranged lunatic.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

When Democrats Attack: NYC Council Edition

Naturally, we get to play Name That Party here. Seems this Democrat is so filled with Yuletide cheer, hope, change and merriment he decided to take a beer bottle to his girlfriend's head. Allegedly, of course.

Outgoing City Councilman Hiram Monserrate was arrested early Friday after allegedly whacking his girlfriend over the head with a beer bottle, a police source said.

Monserrate and the unidentified victim arrived at Long Island Jewish Hospital about 4:30 a.m. Sources told the Daily News the woman had severe cuts to her face that required several stitches to close.

Cops later questioned the Queens lawmaker and charged him with assault.

Monserrate was lauded by colleagues just yesterday - his last day serving on the City Council. He's off to Albany after winning an uncontested race for the state senate seat held by former Sen. John Sabini.

The arrest puts Monserrate on an unfamiliar side of the law. He retired from the NYPD in 2000 after a 12-year stint. He's a founding member of the Latino Officers Association and served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union while still on the police force.

A two-fer: Democrat and and ACLU member.

Nowhere to be found in the story is the word Democrat.

New York 1 is on the story, except they too omit the D-word. Even The Post can't find the room to ID him.

City Councilman and State State-senator-elect Hiram Monserrate, who touted himself as a staunch advocate of victims of domestic violence, was arrested early this morning for allegedly attacking and cutting his girlfriend with a broken bottle, police sources told the Post.

Monserrate, 41, who won election to the state Senate in November, brought his bleeding 30-year-old girlfriend to Long Island Jewish, sometime before 5 a.m. this morning, sources said. She had severe lacerations below the eye.

The Councilman was then questioned by police and promptly arrested on assault charges. The alleged attack took place at his Jackson Heights apartment.

Newsday has an account. They mention his party in the penultimate sentence.

The Queens Democrat was elected to City Council in 2001 and was elected last month to the state Senate. Colleagues praised Monserrate at a ceremony on Thursday, his last official City Council meeting.

The NY Observer may be the only news source that properly notes the party affiliation at the beginning of the story.

ALBANY—State Senator Malcolm Smith is not commenting on news that his fellow Queens Democrat and soon-to-be-colleague, Councilman Hiram Monserrate, is being held in connection with assaulting a woman earlier this morning.

Asked if Smith still accepts Monserrate's support in his bid for majority leader, Smith spokesman Austin Shafran said only, "We have no comment at this time."

Seems this Democrat has anger issues.

Monserrate is something of a controversy magnet.

n the wake of the assassination of Brooklyn Councilman James Davis in which a volunteer for a challenger to Monserrate was arrested for threatening to shoot the incumbent and two of his aides because the through they were engaged in ditry campaigning.

During the contentious primary between Monserrate and then-Sen. John Sabini in 2006, Sabini's campaign office was broken into and two computers were stolen. When Sabini ran against a Monserrate-backed candidate in 2004, one of the tires on the senator's car was slashed.

Back in January, Monserrate put out a press release condemning what he said was a "politically motivated" burglary of his office.

And then, of course, there is the connection between Monserrate and the Churcn of Scientology.

Trifecta! Democrat, ACLU member, Scientologist. Sounds like a swell guy.