If part of the equation for good government is "trust", NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has blown that away.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised to clean up New York's rampant corruption in the state capitol in Albany. Then when the commission he appointed, the Moreland Commission, got close to his patrons, his office
squashed those investigations.
[W]atchdog groups raised concerns about the panel’s credibility after reports about interference by the governor’s office, which leaned on the commission to limit the scope of its investigations, influence which subpoenas it would issue, and in some cases, stop the commission from issuing subpoenas to groups with ties to Mr. Cuomo.
And when that wasn't enough, he simply shut the commission down. So much for cleaning up Albany.
But a federal prosecutor has taken over the commission's files and blasted the governor, and the New York press is starting to dig further. So how does Cuomo respond to this growing mess?
“It’s not a legal question. The Moreland Commission was my commission,” Mr. Cuomo explained. “It’s my commission. My subpoena power, my Moreland Commission. I can appoint it, I can disband it. I appoint you, I can un-appoint you tomorrow.
"So, interference? It’s my commission. I can’t 'interfere' with it, because it is mine. It is controlled by me.”
Seriously, admitting that it was kabuki from day one? Admitting that every promising corruption lead followed by the commission was squashed by him because it was controlled by him?
The Moreland Commission scandal has already killed Cuomo's national ambitions. This response is just icing on the cake.