Co-Chair of President Donald J. Trump’s New Jersey Campaign, state Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) swatted back at fellow Italian-American U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9).

Trump’s reference to CNN media personality Chris Cuomo as “Fredo” bothered U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9).

“It isn’t enough that Trump degrades his office every day and acts like a lawless authoritarian,” said the congressman. “On top of that he insists on slurring Italian-Americans with a pernicious stereotype. I condemn his anti-Italian bigotry. If Trump is invoking betrayal, he must be thinking of how he has betrayed his own oath.”

But Pennacchio dismissed Trump’s latest twitter flurry.

“Chris Cuomo has called himself ‘Fredo’ over the years,” Pennacchio said.

He does not see it as a problem.

From earlier today:

Pennacchio was one of the enthused Republicans at Donald Trump’s Jan. 28 rally at the Wildwood Convention Center. The co-chair of Trump’s New Jersey reelection campaign, Pennacchio even got a shout out from the president and he didn’t mind at all that Trump mispronounced his name.

Now, Pennacchio is thinking even bigger.

When we met for dinner the other night at Arthur’s, a well-known steak joint in Morris Plains, Pennacchio said he has invited the president to hold another rally in New Jersey.

Forget about a relatively small venue “down the Shore.” Penancchio is talking about MetLife Stadium.

“You fill that stadium with 100,000 people, it sends a message,” Pennacchio said, just before we attacked our substantial slabs of beef.