Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Paterson yesterday praised President Bush for revoking a pardon granted to crooked Brooklyn real-estate developer Isaac Toussie one day after it was granted.
“I thought it was probably the right thing to do,” said Bloomberg.
“I don’t know how they vet these things, but when he found out about it, I thought he did the right thing . . . I don’t think this should be used to reward people who are connected or whatever.”
Toussie, 36, pleaded guilty in 2003 to falsifying federal loan documents so that he could sell cut-rate homes on Long Island to low-income buyers.
Technically, the pardon is now under Justice Department review, but it seems doomed to fail since Toussie has not waited the required five years after termination of his sentence before applying.
“You wouldn’t want any quid pro quo where someone got a pardon in exchange for a donation, which I think is probably not the case, but it’s probably a good decision to review it,” Paterson said.