Free Republic

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), who is in charge of new candidate recruitment for House Democrats, played a key role in getting Republican Dede Scozzafava to back Democrat Bill Owens -- just hours after she dropped out of the NY-23 race on Saturday, Dem sources tell me. Former state Democratic chairwoman June O'Neill, a friend of Scozzafava's who brokered the Owens endorsement, arranged for Israel, who was already in western New York, to have coffee with the moderate Republican at 4 p.m. yesterday at Gouverneur, N.Y. eatery near Scozzafava's home. Even though she had already spoken to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo...

  In that passage from Orthodoxy so familiar that it is almost now cliché, G. K. Chesterton wrote that there are a thousand angles at which a man may fall but only one at which he stands. By this he argued for the unique, enduring character of orthodox Church doctrine, of the one, true, upstanding strand of Right Teaching. Though the same tired heresies may reappear to contest it -- mutated, renamed, warmed-over -- the old, wild truth remains standing, "reeling but erect."   This well-worn lesson takes on a new freshness, I think, when applied to the culture...

Raymond B. Harding, the former vice chairman of the state’s Liberal Party, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony related to securities violations under the Martin Act, the latest development in Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo’s investigation of the state pension fund. Mr. Harding had been accused of accepting more than $800,000 that prosecutors say was a reward for doing political favors for the former state comptroller Alan G. Hevesi. Saul Meyer of Aldus Equity, a Dallas-based firm, also pleaded guilty on Friday to a Martin Act felony in the case. Mr. Meyer was a top consultant to pension funds around...

TROY, NY -- President Obama inflicted a stunning series of slights and snubs on Gov. Paterson during a visit to upstate New York yesterday, making it plain for all to see that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is his governor-in-waiting. The awkward stopover by the Democrat-in-chief came just days after an Obama aide delivered the ominous message that Paterson's planned run for governor next year would not have White House support. Although the pair shared some cordial words, polite handshakes and a stiff hug on the tarmac in Albany, many observers agreed the visit was conspicuous for the courtesies Obama denied...

President Obama is making clear that he doesn’t want embattled Gov. David Paterson to run for a full term next year, according to the New York Times, worried that the governor's unpopularity could cost Democrats Congressional seats in the Empire State and imperil the party's redistricting plans in the future. The delicate nature of the discussions between the White House and Paterson – the administration sent an emissary, Queens congressman Gregory Meeks to deliver the news – underscores the dilemma Obama faces in dealing with the candidacies of leading African-American statewide officials who are viewed unfavorably by their constituents. As...

The Times, citing sources, said Obama is concerned that "Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing." According to the Times report, the decision to ask Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisors to Obama, but approved by the president himself.

Has Obama asked beleaguered and unpopular NY Governor David Paterson to drop out of the race to keep his seat? That's what the New York Times is reporting. If true, this is fairly extraordinary. It's highly unusual for a president to step in and tell a governor who is not facing something like a crippling scandal or imminent indictment that his time is up. And when it's the first black president telling one of only two black governors to clear the way for someone else...that definitely falls into the category of Stories You Never Expected To Read. The person most...

WASHINGTON — President Obama has sent a request to Gov. David A. Paterson that he withdraw from the New York governor’s race, fearing that Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing, according to two senior administration officials and a New York Democratic operative with direct knowledge of the situation. The decision to ask Mr. Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisers to Mr. Obama, but approved by the president himself, one of the administration officials said. “Is there concern about the situation in New York? Absolutely,” the second administration official said Saturday evening. “Has that concern...

ALBANY — Nineteen months after ending his disastrous run for the presidency, Rudolph W. Giuliani is clearing a path for a possible race for governor in 2010, believing public anger at an ineffectual Albany and unease over the economy could create ideal conditions for a Republican to reclaim the governor’s mansion. Mr. Giuliani has told associates that he will decide on a candidacy within 30 to 60 days, as he weighs whether he can be elected statewide and what impact another campaign would have on his business interests. He is already laying the groundwork. On Friday he traveled to Long...

By FREDRIC U. DICKER, STATE EDITOR ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson gets more grim political news today, as another statewide poll shows Attorney General Andrew Cuomo trouncing him by 4 to 1 in a hypothetical primary match next year. Democrats, by nearly 2 to 1, said that New York's accidental governor doesn't deserve to be elected on his own...

ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson has played the race card. The state's first black governor yesterday blamed his political woes -- and those of President Obama -- on a white-dominated media that he accused of taking part in an "orchestrated" attack campaign. "We're not in the post-racial period," Paterson said in a freewheeling interview on the liberal talk-radio station WWRL. "My feeling is it's being orchestrated, it's a game, and people who pay attention know that." "We don't have the kind of forces in the community that we had before, in other words, our black media outlets," the Democratic governor continued....

A coy former Gov. Mario Cuomo yesterday boosted his son for governor next year -- while avoiding making an endorsement.

VERMONT PRESS BUREAU MONTPELIER – New York's far-reaching investigation into allegations that wind developers paid local officials to approve their energy projects moved into the state of Vermont this week. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that his office issued a subpoena to Reunion Power, a wind energy developer with offices in Manchester Center and Hackensack, N.J., as part of its ongoing investigation. Announced last summer, the investigation alleges that wind executives at several companies received land-use agreements for their projects from public officials and residents using cash bribes and other illegal gifts. It's not clear whether Reunion...

Responding to the public furor over bonuses paid to executives of Wall Street firms bailed out by taxpayers, the House voted to give shareholders a bigger say over compensation in the first piece of President Obama’s overhaul of financial regulations... “If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that the compensation practices of some of our largest corporations have gotten completely out of control,” said Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Mass.). “We’ve got to act to prevent the next financial meltdown,” added Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), in a comment echoed by fellow Republicans, assailed the measure...

Former New York City Mayor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani could make a race out of the 2010 governor's contest, if early polling is any indication. A Rasmussen poll of likely voters conducted July 14 showed that not only is Giuliani leading unpopular Democratic incumbent David A. Paterson by more than 20 percentage points, but he's also within single digits of highly popular Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. In a hypothetical match-up, Cuomo, a Democrat, leads Giuliani 48 percent to 41 percent with 6 percent supporting another candidate and 6 percent unsure.

ALBANY - Rep. Charles Rangel Friday warned of "racial polarization" if Attorney General Andrew Cuomo challenges Gov. Paterson in a primary next year. -snip- "I think that there might be an inclination for racial polarization in a primary in the state of New York," Rangel said. "Since we have most African-Americans registered as Democrats, and since you would be making an appeal for Democrats, it would be devastating in my opinion."

DEMOCRATS are on the brink of an "all- out civil war" as unelected Gov. Paterson desperately fights to hold an office few think he can win at the polls next year, party insiders have told The Post. The battle lines are pitting Paterson, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a Paterson appointee, and several party functionaries against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic leaders of the Legislature, and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who had a serious and unexpected public clash with the governor on Friday. Cuomo, the highly popular son of former governor Mario Cuomo, is gearing up to run...

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento -- An ongoing investigation into pension fund corruption across the country intensified Friday as California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown directed subpoenas at politically connected firms and individuals, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Brown issued the subpoenas as part of a probe into "placement agents" who help secure pension fund investment contracts for their clients in return for large sums of money, often millions of dollars. The subpoenas seek information on the use and disclosure of placement agents and potential conflicts of interest, said sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because...

snip The bad news: The governor hasn't managed to improve his standing, in spite of all his efforts to do so. He's hovering at an historic low of 61-28 (compared to 60-28 in an April Q poll) among all voters, including 49-37 among African-American voters - the base he and his supporters have been focused on rallying of late. White voters disapprove of Paterson 66-24 and Hispanics, 47-43. By contrast, AG Andrew Cuomo's approval rating remains high (68-12) across the board, and is downright stratospheric among blacks (78-8). Even Republicans like him (55-22). Cuomo continues to blow Paterson away in...

This morning we posted the news about Craigslist giving in to angry Attorneys General who were misguided in their anger. In it, we discussed how this was a larger version of NY AG Andrew Cuomo's tactics to force internet companies to censor, despite no legal basis. However, it looks like Andrew Cuomo is pissed that others have taken his tactics and didn't give him a chance to be involved. Thomas O'Toole alerts us to this stunning statement from Cuomo who appears to be quite angry that this decision was made without him present: "Several weeks ago, we informed Craigslist of...

A San Marino businessman with long-standing connections to Los Angeles City Hall has pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud as part of a probe of alleged pay-to-play corruption at a New York state government pension fund, prosecutors said Tuesday. Julio Ramirez Jr., a former employee of Wetherly Capital Group, a Los Angeles investment marketing firm, allegedly gave kickbacks to a top political advisor of former New York Controller Alan Hevesi. The fees, paid secretly to Henry "Hank" Morris, helped make certain that the New York State Common Retirement Fund would invest with Wetherly clients, New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo...

The former chairman of New York’s Liberal Party was charged on Wednesday with accepting more than $800,000 that prosecutors say was a reward for doing political favors for the former state comptroller Alan G. Hevesi. The former chairman, Raymond B. Harding, 74, was also accused of helping to clear an Assembly seat in a Queens district so that Mr. Hevesi’s son, Andrew, could run for it in 2005. Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said that Mr. Harding, once a close political ally of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and a power broker in state politics, provided “30 years’ worth” of...

Bigger Than Watergate?By Olivier Garret, CEO, Casey Research Posted Wednesday, 6 May 2009 Reportedly, Bill O’Reilly referred to a recent story out of our nation’s capital as “bigger than Watergate.” Whether the story is bigger than Watergate or not, it is definitely a scandal of huge proportions. To sum it up, on April 23, 2009, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chris Dodd; Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank; SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro; and Chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel Elizabeth...

Two of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's appointees to a city pension board resigned today, one month after receiving a letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission asking them to identify income they had received from companies doing business with their agency. Sean Harrigan and Elliott Broidy, two members of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions board, were asked to provide information to the SEC, which is investigating allegations of kickbacks at a New York state pension fund. Appearing at today's board meeting, Harrigan said the inquiry had created "a frenzy of media activity" that had placed him in...

Listening to Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, we get a sense of the "new capitalism" our new Democratic leadership tells us America needs. Frank recently praised Bank of America chairman (now ex-chairman) Ken Lewis for acting in "the public interest" for caving in to bribes and threats from former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke regarding B of A's takeover of Merrill Lynch. Lewis wanted to back out the deal last year when he discovered the massive scope of Merrill's losses. But Paulson and Bernanke decided that Merrill shouldn't fail, so...

New York state's criminal probe of kickbacks paid by companies eager to manage its $122 billion state pension fund has exposed "a national network of actors" whose schemes are ongoing, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday. "This is all across the nation, and it's continuing today," the Democratic attorney general said on a conference call. The probe, which began two years ago, has fixed the spotlight on the use of placement agents hired by investment firms to open the doors of the New York State Common Retirement Fund. For more details, please see: [ID:nN15509853]. Cuomo said he is...

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking detailed financial information from two members of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions board, according to letters obtained by the Los Angeles Times in a joint investigation [1] with ProPublica. The letters to board members Sean Harrigan and Elliott Broidy ask for bank and brokerage account details, any finder's fees or placement agent fees, and documents "sufficient to identify all source of income greater than $10,000" received since the beginning of 2005. They represent the strongest evidence to date that the SEC's ongoing "pay-to-play" investigation of New York's state pension fund has...

Mary Ann Glendon (CNS) Father John Jenkins likely thought himself very clever. Professor Mary Ann Glendon just took him to school. In declining to receive the Laetare Medal alongside President Barack ObamaÂ’s honorary doctorate of laws at next monthÂ’s commencement, Glendon has refused to participate in the shabby manipulation Father Jenkins attempted to engineer. It is a rare personage who could ennoble an award by refusing to receive it, but Professor Glendon has done just that. The Laetare Medal will now be known best for the year in which it was declined. Glendon chose, to use the apt words of...

April 24, 2009, 1:42 a.m. TARP Looking More Criminal by the MinuteThe issue of TARP corruption may now extend from corporate CEOs and federal regulators to New York’s attorney general. By Donald Luskin Is TARP a criminal enterprise? When a CNBC producer called me on Wednesday to see if I’d debate that question on the Kudlow Report that evening, I thought the allegation was ridiculous. How could the U.S. Treasury’s Troubled Assets Relief Program to rescue the banking system possibly be compared to the Sopranos? But now I’m not so sure. Yesterday’s sensational claims by New York Attorney General...

BAC Apr 23 2009, 06:40 PM EDT 8.82 Change % Change +0.56 +6.78% Developing... Andrew Cuomo has sent an angry letter to regulators including Mary Schapiro, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank regarding the behavior of Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke over the allegation that they forced Bank of America (BAC) to complete its acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The upshot: Ken Lewis was definitely interested in pulling the plug on the Merrill Lynch deal, but he was pressured not to with a threat that he'd be fired and the board would be completely sacked. This came from Hank Paulson,...

The integrity of the government's bailout actions are called into question by a new report. There's a lot at stake. A new report by the New York Attorney General says that government officials bullied Bank of America Chief Ken Lewis into accepting a merger with Merrill Lynch--then ordered him to keep mum about losses at Merrill. What's at stake? The integrity of the government's bailout actions, for one. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's reputation, for another. And of course Lewis' job. Thursday, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo released documents charging that in December former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pressured...

Bank of America Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lewis testified under oath in New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's investigation in February. During the testimony, Mr. Lewis told prosecutors that then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke instructed him to keep silent about deepening financial difficulties at Merrill Lynch. In a letter today to members of Congress and the head of Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Cuomo called into question the transparency of the decision making in the process. Here are highlights from the transcript. Here, Mr. Lewis testifies about when he learned of Merrill's deepening losses: Mr....

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said Thursday afternoon that he was widening his investigation of the American International Group to examine whether its trading counterparties improperly received billions of dollars in government money from the troubled insurer. Those counterparties include Goldman Sachs, which received $12.9 billion, as well as Société Générale of France and Deutsche Bank of Germany, which each received nearly $12 billion. “Our investigation into corporate bonuses has led us to an investigation of the credit default swap contracts at A.I.G.,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. “CDS contracts were at the heart of A.I.G.’s...

A bombshell secret report sizing up David Paterson's leadership when he was Senate minority leader found his office mired in chaos, lacking clear lines of communication and hobbled by dysfunction and indecisiveness. The 2005 report, based on interviews with key aides, is a devastating early look at the bumbling management style that would come to define Paterson's first year as governor. "Leader Paterson has a restaurant maitre d' style of management - whatever the members want," Jonathan Rosen, then a top staffer for Senate Democrats, told a Paterson aide who was tapped to interview staffers and compile their opinions."Paterson is...

Andrew M. Cuomo [...] often likens his investigations to a fine opera. The opening act [...] is taken up with his investigation and rivets the audience’s attention. The middle acts are sung by tenors from executive suites, who agree to change their misbegotten ways. The final act, in his rendition, is played by Congress or the State Legislature, which enacts new laws and systemic reform. ... Mr. Cuomo’s use of his office, its powers and its bully pulpit, is muscular. He has [issued subpoenas to get] the names of bonus recipients from American International Group and Merrill Lynch. [...] But...

NEW YORK -- New York's attorney general says American International Group Inc. has given him the list of employees who received a total of $165 million in retention bonuses. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he won't release any employees' names until his office has answered any security concerns raised by the AIG employees. He also said he will work with AIG in the coming days to determine which workers have decided to return the payments.

New York state's top legal officer and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank demanded on Monday that Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) provide more details on $6.9 billion of bonuses paid for 2008, including $3.6 billion at the former Merrill Lynch & Co. The billions of dollars paid to executives is a controversial issue in the recession and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has been putting pressure for months on the banks that received U.S. government money to stay afloat. A legal tussle between Cuomo's office and the bank has wound up in state court, with Bank of America telling a...

(FORTUNE Magazine) – As we tap out these words on our trusty 101-key enhanced keyboard, the Dow Jones industrial average is around 2700 and also looking enhanced. ... (FORTUNE Magazine) – Easily the most maddening political debate these days is the one about whether Congressman Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat, should resign on grounds of turpitude. ...

On Feb. 2, the lobbyist and former senator Al D’Amato threw a fund-raiser at the 101 Club on Park Ave in support of “Andrew Cuomo 2010.” The office was not specified. “He’s a rising star,” said former mayor Ed Koch, who attended the fund-raiser but did not make a contribution. For his part, Mr. Koch said he would support Mr. Paterson in a potential primary against Mr. Cuomo, but he said the guests at the fund-raiser were “definitely” trying to build relationships with Mr. Cuomo, who he predicted would run for governor at some point in the future. For many...

A new poll released Tuesday shows Gov. David Paterson slumping to the lowest job approval and favorability ratings since he took office almost a year ago. The Siena College Research Institute also looked at potential 2010 election matchups and found the Democrat trailing Republican Rudy Giuliani — 51% to 36% — despite a 2-to-1 enrollment advantage for Democrats in New York. They were in a dead heat a month ago. The poll shows Democratic Attorney General Andrew Cuomo leading Paterson 51 to 38% in another possible contest. Neither Mr. Giuliani nor Mr. Cuomo have said they will challenge Mr. Paterson...

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo wants to reinvent New York government. And maybe take it over. His speech today, at a breakfast in the Regency Hotel hosted by the Citizens Budget Commission, was about his proposal to consolidate the state’s more than 10,000 local government bodies and taxing authorities. Cuomo has said, with reason, that they are the cause of higher taxes and a less efficient government. But intermingled in Cuomo's pitch for this most technocratic of ideas, there was stirring rhetoric—of a sort easily recognizable to anyone who was around for his run for governor in 2002—about returning competence to...

Drew Friedman ALBANY-A week before the process to appoint New York's junior U.S. senator reached its messy end, Governor David Paterson stood onstage at an event with Hillary Clinton and compared his experience in the state's highest office to a dirty movie. "I've been governor for nine and a half months," Mr. Paterson jokingly told the crowd at the Town Hall Theater on Jan. 15. "And it feels like it's been 9 1/2 Weeks." In the subsequent weeks, many Democrats have taken to another characterization. "The words ‘shit show' are being thrown around a lot," said one Democratic operative. Mr....

Reuters NEW YORK -- New York's attorney general issued a subpoena to former Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain Tuesday in a probe into bonuses paid to the firm's employees just days before its takeover by Bank of America Corp. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is also examining disclosures by Bank of America related to Merrill's financial health, including the timing and adequacy of the disclosures, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. Mr. Cuomo did not outline specific crimes that may have been committed, only that his office sought testimony from the executives following the latest news on bonuses....

Governor Paterson tried to show he's listening today by cancelling one bad idea -- the tax-payer-financed junket he'd planned to the glitzy World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But the poor guy can't catch a break: A new poll has his would-be rival, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, just two points behind him in a potential pimary contest -- a big catch-up for Cuomo who was trailing the gov by 23 percent just last month. The Siena Research Institute survey also found that most New Yorkers dislike Paterson's nibble taxes -- the added levies he seeks on fattening drinks, movie tickets,...

Subpoena Name: Andrew Cuomo, New York State Attorney General Address: The Capitol; Albany, NY 12224-0341 Whereas, the Defendant was formerly the Secretary of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) between 1997 and 2001. And, Andrew Cuomo is currently being considered for appointment to the United States State Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton. Offered to support, simply, that promoting the complicit promotes complicity: EXHIBIT SUPERIOR COURT OF the people of NEW YORK CHICANERY DIVISION - SATIRE PART BROOKLYN COUNTY DOCKET NO.: I don’t own a boat. Name: People of New York - Plaintiff Vs. Name: Andrew Cuomo, New York State...

ALBANY—Cross $115 million off the list. In his 30-day amendments to the proposed budget, David Paterson revised down the deficit in the current fiscal year to $1.6 billion, due to "unanticipated miscellaneous revenues from settlements by the Attorney General with UBS ($75 million) and Citigroup ($50 million) related to the sale of auction rate securities" less $10 million in additional spending for debt service. So that means legislators have some extra wiggle room in the first salvo of dealing with the deficit, which will take place over the next few weeks. David Paterson has said he hopes lawmakers will deal...

New Yorkers want Cuomo, not Caroline Kennedy to fill Clinton's vacant senate seat Albany (New York, US), Jan.15 : A poll has revealed that a majority of New Yorkers prefer Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate rather than Caroline Kennedy. According to the New York Daily News, only 37 percent of those surveyed by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they think Kennedy would make a good U.S. senator, while 40 percent do not. Another 48 percent say Kennedy is not qualified for the job, while 37 percent say she is. Regardless, New Yorkers by a...

NEW YORK (CBS) ―Now that Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearings are underway, the clock is officially ticking for Gov. David Paterson to pick her successor. There's been much speculation as to who the governor will pick, but he says he wants secrecy in his process. And secrecy he's getting. Even Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a front-runner in the search, wouldn't bite. Just read this exchange he had with CBS 2 HD: CBS 2 HD: "Andrew, have you filled out the questionnaire that everyone has been asked to fill out?" Cuomo: "The governor has a process that he's following and I think...

Hey, Cuomo, stand up and fight. I’m talking to Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general of New York. Stand up and fight. For the last two weeks, as the Caroline Kennedy coronation has been going on, the man whose career she is destroying has been silent. It’s as if he fell off the face of the earth. The story is that Caroline Kennedy has announced that she wants to be a U.S. senator from New York. She has no experience, no preparation, no training. She has never stood before the voters. She has never even visited vast stretches of the state...

ALBANY - Caroline Kennedy's interest in the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton could reignite tensions between two political powerhouse families: the Kennedys and Cuomos, political insiders say. Kennedy's cousin is the ex-wife of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is considered a front-runner for Gov. Paterson's appointment to replace Clinton. The sudden interest by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy and niece to the late Robert F. Kennedy, who once held the seat, throws a titillating wrench into the works, insiders say. "It's awkward," said one well-known Democrat. "If she's serious, there could be...