Rep. Carolyn Maloney voted by proxy on assault weapons ban

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) had a colleague vote on her behalf when the House of Representatives passed legislation to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns — while she campaigned for re-election back in her Manhattan district, The Post has learned.

Maloney’s vote via a proxy Friday raised eyebrows because two days prior, she held a public hearing as chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to grill gun manufacturers on their sale and marketing of assault weapons like the ones used in recent mass shootings.

Maloney, however, used a congressional COVID rule to assign another lawmaker to vote on her behalf, citing the “public health emergency” in a July 29 letter to the House Clerk to justify her being unable to be physically present in Washington DC.

“I am unable to physically attend the proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency, and I hereby grant the authority to cast my vote to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has agreed to serve as my proxy,” she wrote in the memo.

While the vote was taking place in the House Chamber, a Maloney supporter was hosting a fundraiser for her in Manhattan and posted photos of the congresswoman in attendance afterwards.

“It was such an honor to throw a successful fundraiser for Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney! Vote @LGBTQNY4Carolyn @carolyn4nyc @RepMaloney MALONEY FOR CONGRESS!!! The Primary is August 23rd, and early voting begins August 13th!” Todd “TJ” Stein said in a tweet.

Maloney is locked in a tough Democratic primary against fellow Rep. Jerrold Nadler and challenger Suraj Patel. 

The Democrats gerrymandering debacle ended up pitting Maloney and Nadler against each other.

Judges knocked out the Democratic-drawn maps — which Republicans derided as the “Hochulmander” because Gov. Kathy Hochul approved them — finding them unconstitutional.

As a result, a court-ordered special master merged Maloney’s East Side turf with Nadler’s West Side base, creating a battle royale in the new 12th congressional district.

Nadler, who voted in person on the assault weapons ban, declined comment on his rival Maloney voting in absentia.

But Patel slammed Maloney for apparently abusing the House COVID emergency rule to vote by proxy when she was campaigning.

“This is a classic Carolyn Maloney tale. To me, it’s an abuse of the COVID public health emergency exception for voting,” Patel said.

He said her trickery also shows she’s just “grandstanding” on the gun safety issue, adding, “I would have 100 percent been there for the vote if I was in Congress.”

Maloney’s campaign defended her proxy vote on the assault weapons ban measure.

“Carolyn has been the leader in holding gun manufacturers to account for their profiting from bloodshed on city streets. Members of Congress are permitted to vote by proxy and that is what she did, as have many members,” said Maloney campaign spokesman Bob Liff.

“Suraj Patel has no record of achievement on tackling gun violence or anything else, and just shows up every two years to run for office.”

Both Maloney and Nadler have previously voted by proxy using the COVID emergency rule — Maloney 18 times and Nadler 20 times since 2020, records show.

Fellow New York Rep. Mondaire Jones was ridiculed after The Post exposed him for voting by proxy while he partied on the French Riviera last summer, citing the “public health emergency.”