Here’s another snippet from my illuminating extended interview with GOP gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino on “Capital Tonight” yesterday in lieu of a pre-primary debate between the Buffalo businessman and his opponent, Rick Lazio.

Paladino, who is not shy about sharing his controversial views, was unapologetic about saying Erie County Executive Chris Collins should stand by comments that compared Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (an Orthodox Jew) to Adolf Hitler and the anti-Christ and pledged to “take down” the Manhattan Democrat if he’s elected governor.

“(Silver) is one of these pay-to-play guys, and he is right involved in it,” Paladino told me.

“And yes, I will not be dealing comfortably with him at all. I will be dealing, hopefully, with representatives who are there to serve the people, and not to serve this feeding at the trough, which Mr. Silver is about. We are going to take him down. We are going to get rid of him.”

When I asked how, exactly, he intended to do that, noting that the Democratic conference, not the governor, selects the Assembly speaker, Paladino replied rather ominously: “We are going to make it very untenable for his caucus to keep him as their leader…Watch me. Strap in.”

He then went on to reiterate his pledge to shut down the government unless the Legislature passes an on-time budget. He pledged to make ample use of the governor’s line-item veto power and “take away the money” to do away with what he calls “the ruling class.”

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