Cuomo’s Office Hobbled State Ethics Inquiries
Source: New York Times
With Albany rocked by a seemingly endless barrage of scandals and arrests, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set up a high-powered commission last summer to root out corruption in state politics. It was barely two months old when its investigators, hunting for violations of campaign-finance laws, issued a subpoena to a media-buying firm that had placed millions of dollars worth of advertisements for the New York State Democratic Party.
The investigators did not realize that the firm, Buying Time, also counted Mr. Cuomo among its clients, having bought the airtime for his campaign when he ran for governor in 2010.
Word that the subpoena had been served quickly reached Mr. Cuomos most senior aide, Lawrence S. Schwartz. He called one of the commissions three co-chairs, William J. Fitzpatrick, the district attorney in Syracuse.
This is wrong, Mr. Schwartz said, according to Mr. Fitzpatrick, whose account was corroborated by three other people told about the call at the time. He said the firm worked for the governor, and issued a simple directive:
Pull it back.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/nyregion/governor-andrew-cuomo-and-the-short-life-of-the-moreland-commission.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region%C2%AEion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
kpete
(71,986 posts)http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/nyregion/governor-andrew-cuomo-and-the-short-life-of-the-moreland-commission.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region%C2%AEion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)United States v. Nixon, 418 U.S. 683 (1974), settled that question. A person appointed by the executive certainly can investigate the executive.
Smarmie Doofus
(14,498 posts)Why or why not?
*Great* coverage by the way. I wonder sometimes why I "keep the NYT around." This is why.
Thank you Kpete for posting.
Pay ATTENTION, people.
iandhr
(6,852 posts)DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)He is SUCH a sleazy politician. Yes he's a Democrat, and yes he's on the liberal end of several issues near and dear to my heart, but I still think he's just a slime-ball in a suit.
lark
(23,094 posts)He, much more than HRC, is the Wall St. candidate and that's something we totally do not need, another corporatist Dem as president.