Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino has lashed out at his opponent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, over allegations the incumbent appointed an independent anti-corruption commission then interfered in its investigations before ultimately dissolving it altogether.
Cuomo, a Democrat, as of Monday morning hadn”™t appeared publicly since the scandal broke last week. In a Twitter posting Sunday, Astorino said, “It”™s been 5 days. Maybe it”™s time we bring in some professional help.” Astorino, Westchester County executive, then linked a satiric video that showed an actor doing a take on a scene from “Jaws,” but instead of finding a shark the video showed a hunter looking to find the governor.
“He”™s got black eyes, lifeless eyes, like a doll”™s eyes,” he said. “Everyone”™s scared of this guy.”
An article in The New York Times last week outlined systematic meddling by Cuomo and administration aides into the work of the 25-member Moreland Commission, which was forged by the governor in 2013 after several high-profile arrests and ethics breaches by Albany legislators. Among the accusations were that Cuomo”™s administration told the commission to pull back a subpoena from a firm who was being investigated for compliance with campaign finance laws. The firm had worked on Cuomo”™s 2010 election campaign.
Neither Cuomo nor his campaign responded publicly to the accusations since the article ran on July 23, with only a 13-page comment sent to the Times that was linked in the online version of the article. The response, among other things, said the commission couldn”™t investigate the governor although the governor had expressly stated it could during the group”™s formation.
Astorino, who entered last week trailing Cuomo in the polls by more than 30 percent, has called for the governor to respond to the accusations. “Gov. Andrew Cuomo ran for office four years ago promising first and foremost to clean up Albany,” Astorino said. “Not only has he not done that, but now he is looking as bad as the forces he likes to attack.”
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara”™s office has been reviewing documents belonging to the commission and is currently following up on its incomplete work. The potential fallout from the scandal is something other state Republicans are looking at as a campaign issue. State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, a Democrat, to whom the commission leaders were to report, has not publicly commented on the Times report. Schneiderman”™s Republican opponent, John Cahill, accused the attorney general of trying to distance himself from the commission even though its leaders received deputy attorney general status.
“The law is crystal clear ”“ the deputized members of the Moreland Commission had a responsibility to submit a weekly report in detail to the attorney general,” Cahill said. “Where are these reports, what did they say and why didn”™t the AG take any action to follow up on them?”
Republican comptroller candidate Bob Antonacci called on Democratic incumbent Thomas DiNapoli to audit the commission. Antonacci said an executive director continues to be paid a $175,000 salary despite the dissolution of the commission. “What work is she presently doing to warrant even a fraction of that money?” Antonacci said.
