Attorneys who’ve pocketed tens of millions in taxpayer money by defending ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his associates in opposition to COVID-related and sexual harassment claims are internet hosting a fundraiser for his mayoral bid.
The bash will happen Thursday on the Manhattan workplace of Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello, in accordance with an invite obtained by The Put up and first reported by New York Focus.
The regulation agency acquired $2.79 million for defending Cuomo and his workers within the govt chamber throughout probes into his administration’s dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rita Glavin and Theresa Trzaskoma — who’re representing Cuomo in sexual harassment instances — are listed as co-hosts, together with Joseph Belluck, a trial lawyer who’s a State College of New York board trustee.
Glavin’s agency has been paid $5.68 million, whereas Trzaskoma’s agency, Sher Tremonte, has pocketed $6.4 million in taxpayer money.
The solicitation was despatched to members of the New York State Academy of Trial Attorneys, of which Belluck — who doesn’t rep Cuomo — is vp.
Contributors are requested to present from $250 to a most of $2,100.
Advocates with the #MeToo motion and Cuomo’s mayoral opponents slammed the fundraiser as outrageous.
“I don’t suppose New York taxpayers are going to be any extra thrilled that their hard-earned cash goes to Andrew Cuomo’s marketing campaign,” stated Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group established by former Albany legislative staffers.
“This provides insult to damage to the ladies who proceed to be harassed and retaliated in opposition to together with his lawfare protection ways,” she stated of Cuomo.
Karen Hinton, a former staffer who claimed Cuomo made undesirable sexual advances in direction of her in 2000 when he was the US Secretary of Housing and City Growth, known as the fundraiser “appalling.”
“It’s the recycling of funds from the taxpayers to the attorneys and again to Andrew Cuomo. It’s appalling. They’ve benefited enormously from having Andrew Cuomo as a consumer,” stated Hinton.
Cuomo has repeatedly denied harassing or abusing Hinton.
Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Cuomo rival within the Democratic main for mayor, stated, “Our taxpayer {dollars} shouldn’t be going in direction of Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to additional harass girls, lie about nursing residence deaths, after which fund his political rehabilitation tour.
“It’s time to maneuver ahead as a metropolis, not return to the problematic leaders of the previous,” he stated.
Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander, who can also be working for Gracie Mansion, stated: “Andrew Cuomo despatched tens of tens of millions of our taxpayer {dollars} to those regulation corporations to deal with his private scandals, and now he’s funneling the cash again to him for his political marketing campaign? Give me a break. New Yorkers can hardly watch for the day the Adams–Cuomo nightmare of corruption and chaos lastly ends.”
Cuomo marketing campaign spokesman Richard Azzopardi dismissed the criticism.
He famous the contribution limits are a most $2100 per particular person and a modest $400 if a lawyer has enterprise earlier than town, as in Trzaskoma’s case.
“They’re amongst many New Yorkers from this and plenty of different sectors supporting and serving to the governor as a result of they know he’s the one with the expertise and file wanted to assist this metropolis in disaster,” Azzopardi stated.
He stated of the Cuomo attorneys co-hosting the occasion, “In addition they noticed first hand the injustice that was completed — and admittedly you possibly can’t have a greater validation than from the individuals who finest know the information.”
Different regulation corporations doing fundraisers for Cuomo embrace Greenberg Traurig, Paul Weiss, Sullivan and Cromwell, Fried Frank, a marketing campaign supply stated..
New York taxpayers have coughed up a whopping $60 million in authorized charges stemming from all scandals that ensnared Andrew Cuomo’s administration as governor, in accordance with up to date figures from the state comptroller.
Cuomo has denied wrongdoing.
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