State Sen. Kevin Parker Grasping at Straws After a Rough 24

When you're an elected official facing felony charges for assaulting a photographer, breaking his camera and bashing his car in, the best way to proclaim your innocence and garner sympathy from the public might not be to have your lawyer compare your case to another tabloid headline assault of the moment involving a TV star. State Senator Kevin Parker's attorney felt otherwise.

Parker's lawyer Lonnie Hart told reporters outside the Brooklyn court where Parker was being arraigned, "Kiefer Sutherland broke somebody's nose and got a desk appearance ticket. He was able to surrender himself and walk out a few hours later." The senator meanwhile spent the night in jail after Friday's incident.

And the day would just get worse for Parker, who learned immediately following his court appearance that he was being stripped of his leadership positions as a committee chair and Majority Whip. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith released a statement saying, "These are serious charges which demand the attention of the proper authorities, and my decision today will stand until resolution of the proceedings that Senator Parker faces." Smith's move means that Parker loses out on $22,000 earned annually for the position, on top of his $79,500 salary.

Parker's colleagues were not holding back on weighing in on his case. Republican Senator Martin Golden of Brooklyn called Parker "an embarrassment" to the Senate. And a fellow Democrat called out one of Parker's previous altercations that landed him in an anger management course. The anonymous senator joked to the News, "I guess the anger management didn't take."