C. Virginia Fields received before and after versions of a doctored campaign photograph in which two white supporters were replaced with Asians, according to bombshell e-mails made public yesterday by her fired top consultant.
Fields’ ex-adviser Joseph Mercurio released the documents to back up his contention that the Democratic mayoral hopeful was aware that the photo had been changed to make her appear more “inclusive” before it was distributed to voters.
In a March 15 e-mail to Fields’ AOL address, Mercurio sent a draft version of the campaign flier for her review. It showed a picture – taken at a press conference last year – of Fields surrounded by supporters. A white man and woman are standing to her right.
But in another e-mail four days later, on March 19, Mercurio sent Fields a new version of the handout – showing an Asian man and woman superimposed in place of the white couple.
“Virginia saw the before and after photos,” said Mercurio, who was blamed last week for the photo flap and fired by Fields. “I’m showing you an e-mail that says she did.”
The veteran consultant said he had no proof that Fields, the Manhattan borough president, read his e-mails – which he had copied to several of her top aides – but insisted she reviewed “hard copies” of all campaign materials in all their draft forms.
The handout, which was pulled after the scam-photo firestorm erupted last week, was Fields’ key piece of campaign literature.
Fields, who on Friday denied knowing the photo had been doctored, said last night she did not look at her e-mail from Mercurio.
“Virginia Fields does not review drafts of campaign literature in e-mail,” said a statement from her spokeswoman, Kirsten Powers.
“As is true with many candidates, she reviews all drafts of campaign literature in hard copy . . . She never saw the photo before it was doctored.”
The statement continued, “At no point did Mercurio disclose that the photo in the literature had been doctored. His attempts to blame this on other people are shameful and must stop.”
But Mercurio told The Post that it was Fields herself who spoke with the firm producing the flier – Winning Directions of San Francisco – ordering more “diversity” in the original picture.
While controversy continued to swirl around her campaign, Fields was in Washington, D.C., for a fund-raiser that was attended by only about a dozen people. She evaded a Post reporter by slipping out a side door.
“Fields could be toast,” said Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio “This isn’t shooting yourself in the foot – it’s shooting yourself in the torso.
“Chopping off white heads and putting on Asian heads? It has an element of Monty Python to it.”
One of the whites pictured in the early draft of the flier was Democratic activist Trudy Mason, while the man couldn’t be identified. Mason defended Fields. The identities of the Asian couple remain unknown.
Ian Bishop in D.C. contributed to this report.