CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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"McLaughlin in Costa Rica, but doesn't want to discuss it - County executive accompanies presidents of HVCC, UAlbany"

By Kenneth C. Crowe II, Albany, New York Times Union

Updated 4:06 pm EDT, Thursday, March 21, 2019

TROY — Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin wouldn’t discuss why he’s in Costa Rica when reached by telephone Thursday morning.

Asked by a reporter if he was traveling on vacation or county business, McLaughlin inquired if there was a GPS tracker on him.

"F__ off," he said before hanging up.


Spokesmen for Hudson Valley Community College and the state University at Albany were subsequently able to cast more light on McLaughlin's whereabouts: The county executive is traveling with the presidents of both schools.

The delegation was invited by a Costa Rican congressman and agencies to make the educational and economic development trip, said HVCC's Dennis Kennedy.

HVCC President Roger Ramsammy is on the trip to explore opportunities for workforce development and opening an “educational pipeline” to bring students from the Central American nation to the community college, Kennedy said.

Ramsammy's expenses are being paid for by HVCC, the spokesman said.

Kennedy noted that the Costa Rican organizations who had initiated the visit had asked the county executive to attend.

UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez also went along seeking to build connections with Costa Rican institutions to attract students to HVCC who would then transfer to UAlbany to complete their four-year degrees, said UAlbany spokesman Jordan Carleo-Evangelist.

Albany County County Executive Daniel McCoy was not invited to take part, according to his spokeswoman Mary Rozak.

A post on Rensselaer County's Twitter account said McLaughlin's travel was covered by the county's industrial development agency, and that the county executive had spoken to "300 Costa Rican business leaders about opportunities big and small in Rensselaer County."

McLaughlin's own usually active Twitter feed made no mention of the trip until the Times Union posted an initial version of this story.

A few hours later, McLaughlin explained his initial response by saying on Twitter he had "just woken up, was busy getting ready for a packed day of meetings, said I would call back and (the Times Union) kept pestering me with questions rather than stop and accept that I'd call back so he was being rude and I'd had enough of it."

"Rather than be a man he whines."

In the afternoon, McLaughlin's Operations Director Rich Crist issued a press release containing slightly more conventional quotes from McLaughlin about the trip.

"All of us at Rensselaer County are very proud of our role as sponsor of Hudson Valley Community College and helping keep education both excellent and affordable at the college," McLaughlin said in the release.

"We are particularly happy to join in reinforcing the message that Hudson Valley is a world-class institution that can help create opportunity and provide education in Costa Rica and elsewhere in the West Indies."

HVCC Board of Trustees Chair Neil Kelleher — a former Rensselaer County legislative chair who was hired by McLaughlin last fall to the newly created part-time post of "opioid recovery coordinator" for $30,000 a year — also traveled to Costa Rica, Kennedy said.

Like other SUNY community colleges across the state, Rensselaer County appoints several members to HVCC's board of trustees.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 705735.php
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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"FBI probing Rensselaer County GOP operative Rich Crist"

By Brendan J. Lyons, Albany, New York Times Union

Updated 10:00 pm EDT, Saturday, March 30, 2019

TROY — The FBI and state attorney general's office have joined forces in a criminal investigation targeting Richard W. Crist, a longtime Republican political operative in Rensselaer County who serves as the operations director and confidant for county Executive Steve McLaughlin.

Interviews with multiple people familiar with the investigation, which has been ongoing for months, indicate law enforcement officials have been gathering records and conducting interviews on a range of matters related to Crist, including his work with various political campaigns.

Crist, 51, is a former Troy Record reporter who runs a private political consulting firm, Hudson Valley Strategies, and has been a powerful figure in Rensselaer County's political sphere for more than two decades.

Hudson Valley Strategies has been paid more than $300,000 over the past eight years by campaign accounts for dozens of candidates, including several who were elected as judges, sheriffs and state legislators, according to state records.


Crist also served as McLaughlin's campaign director in a contentious 2017 election that divided the Rensselaer County Republican party before the former assemblyman triumphed in a stinging primary victory over former deputy county Executive Chris Meyer.

McLaughlin went on to win the general election, and appointed Crist as his $105,000-a-year operations director after he was sworn in.

When contacted Thursday, Crist declined to comment on the investigation or to say whether he had been interviewed by the FBI.

He referred questions to his attorney, William J. Dreyer of Albany, who declined comment.

Two people with knowledge of the investigation said people associated with companies that handled printing jobs for political campaigns — and had been hired at Crist's direction — have been subpoenaed and interviewed regarding that work.

The investigation has focused, in part, on the amount of money those companies were paid in comparison with entries made in Board of Elections filings, the sources said.

The investigation is also examining whether companies were paid campaign funds for work that Crist would take on with the help of volunteers, the sources said.

Chris Valcik, who operated a company called Custom Graphics that had been used by Crist, confirmed last week that he had been interviewed by the FBI.

"I was subpoenaed and I had to answer some questions and I was told … not to discuss it," Valcik said.

"It was like a couple weeks ago."

"I’m not supposed to talk about it, so I can’t answer any more questions."

Crist's standing with many GOP members in Rensselaer County began to waver in June 2017, when he threw his support to McLaughlin.

That month, the county's Republican Committee had voted overwhelmingly to support Meyer in the race.


Weeks later, GOP county legislators met behind closed doors and voted to fire Crist from his $100,000-a-year job as the majority's legislative liaison, a position had had held for about 20 years.

With the battle lines set, the seasoned political operative directed the primary campaign that led to McLaughlin defeating Meyer by several hundred votes.

McLaughlin placed Crist on his Assembly payroll after Crist was fired.

McLaughlin has publicly credited Crist for his hard-fought primary victory.

Stan Brownell, R-Hoosick, who was chairman of the county Legislature in 2017 and made the decision to terminate Crist, declined comment last week.

He is no longer a member of the Legislature.

As the unrest was gripping the Rensselaer County GOP party that spring, many Republican legislators were rankled that Crist had retained full control of a legislative campaign account, the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, that at one point held more than $90,000.

People familiar with the account, who spoke on the condition they not be identified, said it had been set up to benefit Republican legislators' campaigns, but that Crist had allegedly indicated he could use the funds to defeat lawmakers who had supported his termination.

There were a series of peculiar amendments to the account's balance two years ago.

On July 5, 2017, a filing with the state Board of Elections indicated the account, which Crist controlled, held $91,298 in its January 2017 "periodic filing."

Two weeks later, that filing was amended to indicate the account held just $38,801 in the January periodic filing.

It's unclear why the account balance was adjusted.

Crist did not respond to follow-up questions about his handling of that account.

County Legislator Ronald W. Bayly, a Republican whose district includes Poestenkill, North Greenbush and East Greenbush, recalled there were questions about the control of the money in that political account.

"I really didn't know how much was in there," Bayly said.

"I don't know for sure what happened to that account's money, or where it went."

Filings with the state Board of Elections indicate the RLCC account had paid Custom Graphics more than $20,000.

People familiar with Crist's political dealings said that he has for years marketed his services to political candidates, including judicial office seekers, to secure them third-party lines.

Those lines, including the Independence and Conservative spots, are often key in the outcome of Rensselaer County's tight political races.


At the time Crist was fired, McLaughlin called the move "thuggish behavior of the Rensselaer County machine."

He left a message on the voicemail of Rensselaer County Sheriff Pat Russo that year berating him for sending two deputies to escort Crist out of the county building after he was fired.

McLaughlin did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... o-15865172
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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"KING" CUOMO IS REALLY JUST AN IGNORANT THUG WHO THINKS AND ACTS LIKE HE IS A KING ...

AND THANKS TO SONIA SOTOMAYOR, CRITICS OF NEW YORK STATE GOVERNMENT CAN ALREADY IN FACT DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A TRACE ...

RIGHT INTO A SECURE MENTAL FACILITY TO HAVE THEIR BRAINS ERASED ...

JUST LIKE RUSSIA ...

And so ...

"Churchill: In Albany, the 'idiots' take on King Cuomo"


Albany, New York Times Union

Updated 4:14 pm EDT, Saturday, March 30, 2019

Once again, it's crazy season in Albany.

The Legislature is in session!

Where to begin?


Let's start with f---ing idiots.

That's the colorful moniker a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo applied to three millennial lawmakers who called out the governor for holding a secretive, $25,000-per-couple fundraiser during the height of budget negotiations.

The alleged "idiots" are senators Alessandra Biaggi and Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou.

If you're conservative or a centrist, you won't love their politics.

The three downstate lawmakers sit squarely in the uber-progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

But even Hannity watchers can appreciate how the women are trying to break down the ossified customs of the Capitol, as evidenced by their press conference Wednesday slamming King Cuomo's expensive gala.

Their criticism of the fundraiser was valid, and not just because it allowed the super-rich to chat with Robert Mujica, the state's budget director, as New York's gazillion-dollar spending plan was being finalized.

You might also have concerns with the budget.

Maybe you're a parent who thinks it underfunds education or a recreational fisherman who wants more spent on clean water.

Did you get a chance to express your needs and wants to Cuomo and Mujica?

Of course not.

The system isn't designed for you peasants.

(No offense.)

It's set up for the plutocrats willing to fork over the average annual Mississippi salary to hobnob with Cuomo in a sterile hotel ballroom.

Same as it ever was.

In fairness, lawmakers and the governor have already closed the much-loathed "LLC loophole" and additional reform might be on the way.

Many Democrats want a public-financing system that could strip influence from the wealthy.

Cuomo claims to support the change, which is why, as the alleged "idiots" noted, holding a fundraiser emblematic of the bad-old ways was more than a little hypocritical.

The event, Biaggi said, represents "exactly what we came to Albany to change."

The nerve!

How dare those upstart millennials insult The King?

Who do those flower petals think they are?

Only Rich Azzopardi, the governor's spokesman, didn't call Biaggi, Ramos and Niou flower petals.

He called them "f---ing idiots."

To reporters.

On the record.


Some heard sexism in the comment, but I'll note that Azzopardi is an equal-opportunity insulter.

I would not be surprised to learn that he has called me, your local white-male Cuomo critic, a f---ing idiot a dozen times since Valentine's Day.

In any event, Team Cuomo was quick to note that Ramos and Biaggi have held fundraisers of their own in recent weeks, which makes their charge of hypocrisy seem ... you guessed it ... hypocritical!

Not to mention that legislative fundraisers are more common in Albany than potholes.

They're a key part of the city's economy.

They allow lobbyists and politicians to hobnob as God intended.

Lawmakers, however, have a plan for change.

They have proposed that no fundraisers be allowed within 15 miles of the Capitol when the Legislature is in session.

That would be terrible news for hotels in Colonie and Albany and a devastating development for the Fort Orange Club.

(Breaks your heart, right?)

On the other hand, it might save the Schenectady casino, which appears to be a hair outside the limit, or provide a nice boost to Mechanicville, which is conclusively outside the zone.

Coming soon to Bubbles Restaurant, an opportunity to shower Andrew Cuomo with love!!

And more importantly, money!!

The legislation is lipstick on Wilbur, of course, because a fundraiser is a fundraiser whether in Albany or on the moon.

All the best ones happen in Manhattan anyway.

You know, near Wall Street.

But in the Capitol's crazy season, a law doesn't need to make sense to pass muster.

Providing the mere illusion of progress is enough and certainly easier than tackling difficult tasks such as, oh, I don't know, FIXING THE DAMN UPSTATE ECONOMY.

Does anybody in power want to talk about upstate's decline?

The alarming population drain?

Hello?

Anybody?

Let's end with the craziest proposal of all – legislation that would allow mugshots and arrest records to be kept secret.

If you're cynical, you might assume lawmakers have grown tired of seeing their colleagues' embarrassed in the newspaper.

Or maybe they're impressed by the success Russia and China enjoy with secret arrests and have decided it would be nice to import the policy.


Of course, any citizen who read the Constitution in fourth-grade knows the very premise is dangerous and un-American.

In countries with secret arrests, critics of government officials often just vanish without a trace.

They may not even get a chance to say goodbye to their ...

Hold on a sec.

Somebody's pounding on the front door.

https://www.timesunion.com/allnews/arti ... lyeEdition
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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THIS IS FAKE NEWS BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON A FALSE PREMISE AS TO THE POWER TISH JAMES ACTUALLY HAS PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF NYS …

SHE IS NOT GOING TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP …

SHE IS GOING TO WASTE NYS RESOURCES CONDUCTING WITCH HUNTS …

AND OF COURSE HER INVESTIGATIONS ARE PARTISAN …

SHE RAN ON A "GET TRUMP BY ANY MEANS" AGENDA, AFTERALL …

And so ...

NBC NEWS

"NY's attorney general is one of the most powerful in the nation. That should worry Trump."


Allan Smith

1 APRIL 2019

Shortly after her election in November, New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to "use every area of the law" to probe President Donald Trump, his family and associates, and his business.

As the chief legal officer in a state with that provides her with sweeping investigatory and prosecutorial powers, she can keep that promise.


With special counsel Robert Mueller's probe now complete, others' investigations, including the New York attorney general's, are continuing.

James recently subpoenaed Trump's banks, seeking information about the Trump Organization and the president's finances.

Though Trump has dismissed these efforts as "presidential harassment" and tweeted that James, a Democrat, "openly campaigned on a GET TRUMP agenda," several former New York attorneys general and legal experts say the president could have plenty to fear.

"There's broad power — there's no question," Oliver Koppell, a Democrat who served as New York attorney general in 1994, told NBC News of the substantial authority and tools the office has to investigate and prosecute businesses for fraud.

The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment.

New York law allows the attorney general to seek restitution and damages — and, in extreme cases, dissolution — if a business is found to have engaged in persistent fraud.

There's also the Martin Act, a 1921 statute designed to protect investors.

Past attorneys general have used the Martin Act, considered to be the U.S.'s toughest such state statute in this realm, to expand their powers in the financial crimes sector.

The law empowers the attorney general to subpoena witnesses and documents for information pertaining to possible fraud.

"The Martin Act gives really broad powers," said Dennis Vacco, a Republican who served as New York attorney general from 1995 to 1998.

(Vacco declined to comment on whether Trump or associates have sought his legal counsel regarding this investigation.)

Vacco said the Martin Act is one of few in the nation that provides the attorney general with criminal investigative authority without having to first receive a referral from the governor or a state agency and he noted that a criminal prosecution often will start off as a civil investigation, which is what the Trump Organization is currently facing.

The statute "really does apply to almost any financial transaction in New York state," he said.

Koppell said that it was former Democratic New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who served from 1999 to 2006, who wrote the modern playbook that James could follow.

Spitzer "really kind of expanded the scope of attorney general work in the area of financial fraud," Koppell said.

Spitzer, who later was elected governor only to resign amid a prostitution scandal in 2008, aggressively pursued white-collar crimes like securities fraud and used statutes such as the Martin Act to pursue prosecutions that had been typically left for federal authorities.


Spitzer's investigation of American International Group and its then-CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, for example, may have parallels to James' latest lines of inquiry into Trump's businesses.

The then-attorney general alleged that the insurance giant's top executives engaged in fraudulent business practices.

Those executives settled with the state in 2017, agreeing to forfeit about $10 million in performance bonuses, a fraction of what New York sought.

Through a spokesperson, Spitzer declined to comment to NBC News.

Could James dissolve the Trump Org?

It's rare for the attorney general to seek the dissolution of a business, but it has happened.

In 1994, the state closed down an education company that repeatedly failed to comply with student loan regulations.

In "People by Abrams v. Oliver School," a New York appellate court affirmed the dissolution and said the power was typically used "as a remedy for persistent consumer fraud."

The power has been described by the state Supreme Court as a "judgment of corporate death," with the offending company's transgressions needing to be so serious "as to harm or menace the public welfare" in order for it to be an appropriate remedy.

The public first became aware of James' new inquiry into Trump and his business after she recently subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and Investors Bank for records regarding some of Trump's business dealings and his failed 2014 effort to buy the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

Like her office's ongoing probe into the Trump Foundation, which led to the dissolution of the president's charity, the latest inquiry into Trump's business dealings is a civil investigation.

James opened the probe after Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney, testified to Congress last month that Trump inflated the worth of his assets in financial statements that he provided to banks to secure loans.

A source familiar with James' investigation told NBC News the probe appears to be moving quickly.


It is not yet clear what the scope or focus of James' new probe is, but former New York attorneys general told NBC News that she could use her office's sweeping powers as part of an investigation into whether Trump had defrauded consumers, which is when those powers are typically used, or financial institutions.

"The DNA of the conduct is the same, whether it's defrauding a financial institution or defrauding investors or consumers," Vacco said, adding that he was not vouching for the basis of James' investigation.

"Because, at the end of the day, it's still fraud."

"In this instance, it's a legitimate business (banks that loaned to Trump) that is being defrauded," former New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, a Democrat who served from 1979 to 1993, told NBC News.

"Decisions are being made against fraudulent information."

"There's a wide variety of roles and opportunities for enforcement of the law and protection for those who are being victimized by false representations, misleading statements, advertising information provided in the application process, whatever," added Abrams, who said he went after businesses for fraud "virtually every day and every week."

Jed Shugerman, a Fordham University law professor who advised Democrat Zephyr Teachout in her 2018 attorney general campaign, told NBC News that no matter what legal authority James is using to back her latest inquiry, she must be speedy.

Shugerman said it would be unfortunate for the results of the probe to come to light close to the 2020 election, which could give critics of the investigation ammunition to attack it as partisan.

"Now we have this delicate balance of being able to move fast enough so that they can get evidence with civil subpoenas and civil process of discovery, but not so aggressively that they look to be moving politically with potentially abusing their power," he said.


Nonetheless, the probe itself poses danger to Trump because of James' broad powers, according to NBC News/MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner.

Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, said if the documents James is seeking show that Trump misled banks about his assets, proving fraud "should be like shooting fish in a barrel for the New York AG."

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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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HE WAS INDICTED BY A GRAND JURY …

KIM FOXX THUS INTENTIONALLY THWARTED JUSTICE FOR THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO ...

Tribune News Service

"Thousands of texts, emails about Jussie Smollett probe made public by State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office"


By Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune

18 APRIL 2019

CHICAGO — Just after news broke that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett had been indicted on 16 felony counts, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told her top deputy that Smollett was a “washed up celeb who lied to cops” and the number of felony counts he faced was excessive, communications obtained by the Chicago Tribune show.

“Sooo… … I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases … 16 counts on a class 4 (felony) becomes exhibit A,” Foxx said in a text message to Joseph Magats, her top assistant, on March 8.

Foxx went on in those texts to Magats to compare Smollett’s case to the office’s pending indictment of R&B singer R. Kelly on 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

“Pedophile with 4 victims 10 counts."

"Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16 (counts),” she wrote.

“ … Just because we can charge something doesn’t mean we should.”

Smollett, who is African American and openly gay, had been indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct on charges he staged a hate crime attack on himself.

Foxx’s office created a firestorm of protest after abruptly dropping all the charges less than three weeks later at a court hearing that reporters only learned about at the last minute.


Late Tuesday, Foxx’s office made public thousands of internal texts and emails on the Smollett case in response to public-records requests by the Tribune.

The office, though, denied outright requests for its internal files, saying it did so because the judge presiding over the case had agreed to seal the public court file moments after prosecutors dropped all the charges.

The Chicago Police Department has also denied public-records requests for its internal documents on the same grounds.

The majority of documents released Tuesday do not deal with the substance of the case and do little to illuminate why prosecutors decided to dismiss the charges so soon after bringing them.

But they show that the office was largely caught flat-footed by the massive response from the news media to its own stunning reversal.

Texts between top-level prosecutors and its communications office show a scramble to coordinate their messaging and futilely try to tamp down the heated controversy.


“Just wish I could have anticipated the magnitude of this response and planned a bit better!” Assistant State’s Attorney Risa Lanier, the lead prosecutor on the high-profile case, texted Magats hours after the charges were dropped.

“There’s really no planning for this,” Magats responded.

“It’s the right decision.”

“I agree and absolutely stand by the decision made,” Lanier replied.

In addition, it appeared the prosecutors’ office notified Chicago police only moments before the charges were dropped as reporters were already gathering in the courtroom — tipped off by a publicist for Smollett’s legal team.

“It appears as if Jussie’s press person may have notified the press,” Lanier texted three spokespeople on the morning the case was dismissed.


A short time later, a spokeswoman texted back to say she had notified a Police Department spokesman who would notify Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

About 10 minutes later, Foxx texted Magats: “Eddie just called."

"(He) needed to know how to answer questions from press.”

Foxx said she told Johnson that Smollett’s charges were dismissed since he completed community service and turned over his bond money — $10,000 — to the city.

“He seemed satisfied with the explanation,” Foxx told Magats.

However, Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a news conference that morning slamming the decision — “a whitewash of justice,” the mayor said.

Foxx withdrew herself from the case in February after she had been in contact with one of Smollett’s relatives early during the investigation.

But Foxx’s office has since said she removed herself from the case only informally, since an actual recusal would have required her entire office to step aside and request the appointment of a special prosecutor.


When asked why the state’s attorney continued to communicate about the case after her withdrawal, a spokeswoman issued a statement Tuesday night on Foxx’s behalf saying she reached out to Magats only “to discuss reviewing office policies to assure consistencies in our charging and our use of appropriate charging authority.”

Smollett found himself at the center of an international media firestorm after he reported being the victim of a Jan. 29 attack by two people who shouted slurs, hit him and wrapped a noose around his neck.

Police initially treated the incident as a hate crime, but their focus turned to Smollett after two brothers who were alleged to have been his attackers told detectives that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later.


The move to drop charges has provoked fierce criticism.

Emanuel’s administration has sued to try to force Smollett to reimburse Chicago for the more than $130,000 in overtime police expenses spent investigating the alleged hoax even though all the charges against the “Empire” actor were dropped.

Foxx has faced mounting pressure to explain in more detail why the prosecution of Smollett was so quickly abandoned.

In an op-ed in the Tribune, she backed off her office’s initial stance that the case was strong, writing that they were uncertain of a conviction, but she offered no specifics.


At her request, Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard agreed last week to investigate the office’s handling of the Smollett case.

———

(Chicago Tribune’s William Lee contributed to this report.)

———

Visit the Chicago Tribune at http://www.chicagotribune.com

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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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THIS BIZARRE STORY GETS EVER MORE WEIRD BY THE DAY …

RULE OF LAW HAS LONG SINCE GONE OUT THE WINDOW TO BE REPLACED BY ANARCHY AND CHAOS …

WHICH IS WHAT THIS STORY IS ABOUT …

A VINDICTIVE VENDETTA …

AND NEW YORK STATE'S "SPECIAL LAWS" INTENDED TO HARM INDIVIDUALS ..

TO DEPRIVE THEM OF EQUAL PROTECTION OF LAW …

AND DEMOCRATS, WHO ARE A SMALL MINORITY IN THIS NATION, DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE …

And so ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES

"N.Y. Lawmakers Move Closer to Allowing Release of Trump’s State Tax Returns"


Jesse McKinley

7 MAY 2019

ALBANY — As the standoff over President Trump’sfederal tax returns deepens in Washington, New York State lawmakers say they intend to advance a bill on Wednesday to allow congressional committees to see Mr. Trump’s New York State returns.

State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, confirmed on Tuesday that the State Senate had enough votes to ensure passage of a bill allowing the commissioner of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance to release any state tax return requested by a leader of one of three congressional committees for any “specified and legitimate legislative purpose.”


A tax return from New York — the headquarters of the president’s business empire and his home state — could contain much of the same financial information as a federal return, which Mr. Trump has steadfastly refused to release.

On Monday, the Treasury Department denied a request from House Democrats for six years of the president’s federal returns, setting up a likely court battle that could reach the Supreme Court.

“The news of yesterday makes New York’s role even more crucial,” Mr. Hoylman said.

He has described his bill as “assisting Congress in its oversight role.”


The White House had no immediate response to the New York bill.

The passage of the New York legislation could expose state lawmakers to accusations of partisanship; the State Legislature is controlled by Democrats, and its executive branch is overseen by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat and a frequent critic of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cuomo said last month that he would support the Senate’s efforts so long as it “applies to everybody,” an opinion his office reiterated on Tuesday.

The State Assembly has been slower to publicly embrace the bill, though lawmakers there seemed likely to pass it as well, given the dominance of Democrats in the lower chamber.


“Our members understand the issue,” said Mike Whyland, a spokesman for the Assembly, on Monday, adding they intend to discuss it “in the near future.”

New York State law generally prohibits private tax information from being released, and past efforts in Albany to get Mr. Trump’s taxes — via a bill that would require various state and federal lawmakers to release such information — have stalled over concerns about the mass release of personal information about political figures.

Mr. Hoylman has said he hoped his bill’s narrow focus would ameliorate those concerns; under the bill, the returns could only be released if formally requested by one of three congressional committees: the House Ways and Means Committee; the Senate Finance Committee; and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

It would cover a broad range of filings, including corporation taxes, real estate transfer taxes and personal income taxes, a potentially illuminating trove of information about Mr. Trump, a billionaire who has cited ongoing audits as a reason for not releasing his taxes.


The Senate was also poised to pass a second bill on Wednesday that would eliminate the so-called “double jeopardy loophole” that gives individuals who have been pardoned at a federal level indemnity from being tried by New York State prosecutors on similar charges.

That bill also has the support of Mr. Cuomo, and is also expected to pass the Assembly.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Island and a former prosecutor, was troubled by the prospect of Mr. Trump issuing pardons for “associates who are exposed by investigations into his own conduct.”

“Obviously,” Mr. Kaminsky said, “that raises enormous concerns.”

Some lawmakers in Albany have expressed philosophical concerns about passing legislation that seemed solely in response to Mr. Trump, an opinion echoed by Republican officials who have decried Mr. Hoylman’s bill as a “bill of attainder,” aimed at a single person.

On Tuesday, John J. Flanagan, the Republican minority leader in the Senate, called the congressional committee bill “a blatantly political act” that was out of step with the concerns of many of the state’s constituents.

“We should be spending our time worrying about what we can do for New Yorkers,” said Mr. Flanagan, who represents Long Island.


But Mr. Hoylman denied his bill was partisan.

“What’s at stake here is the prerogative of legislative oversight,” he said.

“And the desire of New Yorkers and the American people to seek the truth behind Trump’s taxes.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... P17#page=2
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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RENSSELAER COUNTY HOLDS THE TITLE OF MOST CORRUPT COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ...

"Rensselaer County GOP pushes for return of suspended aide"


By Kenneth C. Crowe II, Albany, New York Times Union

Published 3:55 pm EDT, Friday, May 17, 2019

TROY — Rensselaer County’s top Republican operative could be back to work in a county job as early as next week as pressure has mounted for County Executive Steve McLaughlin to end his unpaid suspension, county GOP officials said Friday.

McLaughlin placed Richard W. Crist on unpaid administrative leave from his $105,000 post as director of operations and spokesman on March 31 after the Times Union reported the FBI and the state Attorney General’s office were conducting a joint criminal investigation of Crist’s work on political campaigns.

Republicans have lobbied McLaughlin for Crist’s return to the county payroll as the 58 minor party primaries on June 25 approach, with concerns mounting that without Crist’s usual intense work in turning out voters and securing absentee ballots, the county Democrats could win many of the elections.


The county party also is seen as not fully functional as Crist, the Schodack GOP chairman, handled may day-to-day functions and played a major role in grooming candidates and in strategy before his suspension.

“We’re working on it."

"It’s going to be done,” said a top GOP official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the nature of the discussions about McLaughlin returning Crist to work.

Many Republicans with longstanding political ties to Crist, who’s worked on their campaigns over the past two decades, have complained that McLaughlin should not have suspended his top aide without pay based on newspapers reports and without any criminal charges being filed.

Republicans have continued to point out that Crist played a major role in McLaughlin’s winning the 2017 party primary for county executive and his general election victory.


“Steve is starting to feel the effects of what happened,” said another long-time influential Republican leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity regarding internal GOP actions.

The turnout for McLaughlin’s recent fundraiser at Brunswick Greens golf course and banquet hall in the town of Brunswick was low with many elected officials and party activists, this Republican said.

“It was really poorly attended for a countywide event,” he said.


Other GOP activists and officials confirmed this.

“The easiest way for the Democrats to control Rensselaer County is to take one person out."

"It isn’t Steve McLaughlin."

"It’s Rich Crist,” the Republican said.


County Republicans are worried by the Democrats’ success in electing District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly last year when she defeated incumbent Republican Joel E. Abelove by 10 percentage points.

They’ve also expressed concerns about losing control of the town of North Greenbush and are worried by the Democrats solidifying their hold on the town of East Greenbush.

The Democrats remain strong in the cities of Troy and Rensselaer.

County Republicans have adopted a strategy of using the minor party ballot spots, especially the Conservative and Independence lines, to counter the Democrats’ enrollment edge.

Crist has been a driver in the party’s success in enrolling voters in these parties to win primaries and to attract votes in the general election.


County Legislature Chairman Michael Stammel, R-Rensselaer, has supported Crist continuing to work at the county.

“I’ve continued to advocate for Rich and will continue to until I find other reasons not to,” Stammel said.

Jason Kippen, who took over Crist’s role as McLaughlin’s spokesman, said Thursday he didn’t know anything about Crist returning to work.

Kippen did not respond to follow up requests Thursday and Friday.

McLaughlin didn’t respond to a request for comment Friday.

Crist could not be reached for comment Thursday or Friday about his situation with McLaughlin and return to the county payroll.

The Republicans familiar with the talks about Crist said an issue is whether he returns to the post as director of operations in the county executive’s office or is placed in another job in the Republican-run county government.

The extent of the joint federal-state investigation regarding Crist’s political work has created an uncertainty about whether others are potential targets.

Crist’s political work spans beyond his work for McLaughlin, Schodack chairman and previously as the county Legislature’s top aide.

Crist also owns a private political consulting firm, Hudson Valley Strategies that has collected more than $300,000 over the past eight years from campaign accounts for dozens of candidates, including several who were elected as judges, sheriffs and state legislators, according to state records.


Sources told the Times Union in March that the federal-state probe was investigating printing companies that performed work for political campaigns that was done under Crist's direction.

The investigation has focused, in part, the sources said, on the amount of money those companies were paid in comparison with entries made in Board of Elections filings.

The investigation is also examining whether companies were paid campaign funds for work that Crist would take on with the help of volunteers, the sources said.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... o-16652145
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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"State lawmakers reach deal on release of Trump's tax returns"

By David Lombardo, Albany, New York Times Union

Updated 4:27 pm EDT, Monday, May 20, 2019

ALBANY - State lawmakers have struck a deal on a measure that would allow Congressional Democrats to get their hands on President Donald J. Trump's state tax returns.

Legislation introduced late Sunday night in both houses of the state Legislature amends an existing proposal — which passed the state Senate earlier this month — that directs the state's tax commissioner to share tax-return information requested by congressional oversight committees.


The changes appear to address some of the concerns raised by Assembly Democrats during an internal discussion last week, including that the measure was too broadly worded.

As a result, the state's power to release tax returns would be limited to filings by elected officials, entities controlled by elected officials and certain policy makers.

"The suggestion came up that if what you really want to get at is people who are in positions of authority, and you want to make sure there are no conflicts, let's look at those people and not necessarily every single person in New York," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

The proposal was dismissed earlier this month by GOP lawmakers, who described the proposal as a partisan witch hunt.

In a committee meeting, Sen. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, called the legislation a "sad attempt to illegitimize an election and a president."

"What's the next step?"

"Because this isn't going to end," Tedisco said.

"After you get his taxes, you're going to want to get his number of suits he has and where he buys them and the cost of them and what he did in the kindergarten."


Earlier this month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refused a congressional request for the president’s tax returns.

He told Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in a letter, that the panel’s request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose” as U.S. Supreme Court precedent requires.

There is no federal requirement for presidential candidates to disclose their private financial information, but it's a custom every other president since the Watergate era has followed.

State law already allows tax returns to be shared with other states and federal agencies.

The original legislation would create a new exception for congressional oversight committees with a "legitimate legislative purpose," direct the tax commissioner to redact personal information and apply to any New Yorker.

The measure introduced Sunday, known as a chapter amendment, specifies what information should be redacted, including portions of a federal tax return, and creates a stricter standard for releasing state tax returns.

Despite congressional Democrats not actively calling for New York to pass the legislation, Heastie said they will likely pass the measure on Wednesday.

"This can be just like in case of emergency, break glass type of legislation," he said.

The state Senate is also expected to pass the measure Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the legislative schedule.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... DailyBrief
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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MARKETWATCH

"New York lawmakers pass legislation letting Congress look at Trump’s state tax returns"


By Associated Press

Published: May 22, 2019 4:52 p.m. ET

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump’s state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president’s federal filings.

The Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures Wednesday, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.

A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.

The legislation doesn’t target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials.

The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.

An earlier version of the proposal passed the state Senate two weeks ago that would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker’s returns, regardless of whether they held public office.

Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language Wednesday.

New York Republicans have railed against the bill.

John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation “troubling” and “bad public policy.”


The proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump’s federal returns.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn’t comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump’s tax returns, in part because the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.”

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.

Much of the information on Trump’s state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end-run around the IRS, if they wished to take it.

With New York being Trump’s home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises, the legislation could give Democrats access to the president’s state tax returns at a time when the White House and Democrats who control the House continue to wrangle over the president’s federal tax returns.

Democrats are seeking six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.

If Congress does request and obtain Trump’s state tax returns, that doesn’t mean the public gets to see them.

Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee’s eyes only.

The New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress.

They require that the returns be requested “for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,” wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.

The New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-y ... 2019-05-22
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Re: CORRUPT AND INEPT GOVERNMENT

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HILLARY CLINTON IS ABOVE THE LAW ...

THE HILL

"Trump: Cuomo using New York attorney general as 'bludgeoning tool' against me"


Jordan Fabian

2 JULY 2019

President Trump on Monday lashed out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), accusing him of using the state attorney general as a "bludgeoning tool" against him.

"It is very hard and expensive to live in New York."

"Governor Andrew Cuomo uses his Attorney General as a bludgeoning tool for his own purposes."

"They sue on everything, always in search of a crime," Trump tweeted.

The attack came in a string of tweets in which Trump lashed out at the state's lawsuit against his foundation, which was forced to shutter.

The president also claimed without evidence that "people and businesses are fleeing New York in record numbers" because of the threat of investigations.

Though it's not clear what, specifically, triggered the president's outburst, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been aggressive in investigating Trump and his administration.

She filed or joined a barrage of lawsuits on issues from the administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the census to the Trump Organization's business practices.


The lawsuit against the Trump Foundation was started by James's predecessor, Eric Schneiderman, who resigned in May 2018 after he was accused of abusing multiple women.

Schneiderman disputed the notion that he assaulted women during what he said were consensual sexual encounters.

Cuomo responded by accusing Trump of distorting his record, saying he "doesn't really understand how government works."

"In his administration, he appoints the attorney general."

"So his expression of 'it's a tool,' maybe his attorney general is his tool."

"In New York, the attorney general is separately elected," the governor told reporters on a conference call.

"I don't have an attorney general."

"He appoints an attorney general and I think, if anything, the fact that law enforcement is looking into his corporations, if he has nothing to hide he has nothing to worry about."

"But I think the tweet shows that his paranoia is once again getting the better of him," Cuomo added.

James also responded to Trump, tweeting that "No one is above the law, not even the President."

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ ... P17#page=2
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