Page 26 - bon-dia-aruba-20210728

A26 u.s. news
Diaranson 28 Juli 2021

NY law has long let officials use campaign funds for defense

(AP) — Some legisla- that’s where I think a tax- sonal things unrelated to a
tors want to change New payer is right to take umbrage campaign or public office.
York’s campaign finance that they shouldn’t be paying
rules after Gov. Andrew for those legal fees.” “You can’t pay a lawyer for a
Cuomo used $285,000 in house closing. That’s a good
political donations to pay Former President Donald example of what you can’t
lawyers representing him Trump’s campaign and the do,” said Jerry Goldfeder, a
in sexual harassment and Republican National Com- longtime New York election
misconduct investiga- mittee spent unprecedented lawyer who worked in the
tions. millions of dollars on legal state attorney general’s of-
fees related to a long list of fice when Cuomo was attor-
New York politicians have investigations, including for- ney general. He declined to
used millions of dollars in mer special counsel Robert comment on the specifics of
campaign funds in recent Mueller’s probe of Russian Cuomo’s spending.
years to pay lawyers defend- election meddling.
ing them against allegations Years ago, Cuomo used
of wrongdoing, according to Trump’s campaign also paid $400,000 in campaign funds
tallies kept by the New York expenses related to alleged denied wrongdoing and has the legal fees of associates for lawyers representing him
Public Interest Research misconduct have failed to ad- not been charged with any caught up in lawsuits and in- in a federal investigation of
Group. The list includes vance since 2013. crimes. vestigations, as did the RNC, his shutdown of a state anti-
former Assembly Speaker which also picked up the tab corruption commission. That
Sheldon Silver, former state Many taxpayers recoil at one The idea that political can- for several of Trump’s second inquiry was closed without
Senate leader Dean Skelos, alternative, which is to have didates should be allowed to impeachment lawyers. Sev- anyone being charged.
former state Senate leader Jo- the government pick up the use campaign money to pay eral legal defense funds, in-
seph Bruno and former New legal bills of officeholders be- for a legal defense is ground- cluding one called the Patriot On the federal level, the Fed-
York Attorney General Eric ing investigated. ed in the reality that elected Legal Expense Fund were eral Elections Commission
Schneiderman. officials do occasionally face also established allowing do- allows candidates to pay le-
“Using campaign funds in- spurious lawsuits and po- nors to foot former Trump gal expenses with campaign
That kind of campaign stead of taxpayer dollars for litically motivated investiga- aides’ legal bills. funds, but not in matters
spending is allowed under this purpose has been well tions. where the expense wouldn’t
certain conditions but many established for decades,” Former President Bill Clin- exist if the person wasn’t a
still find it distasteful. Cuomo spokesperson Rich But state Sen. Brad Hoyl- ton, a Democrat, chiefly re- candidate or officeholder.
Azzopardi said in a statement man, a Manhattan Demo- lied on a legal defense fund,
“It’s completely bizarre and it defending the use of cam- crat who is sponsoring one set up separately from his Sometimes what counts as a
makes no sense because cam- paign cash for legal bills. bill calling for changes, said campaign but still funded by prohibited personal use can
paign contributions are sup- politicians facing serious al- political supporters, to pay be ambiguous.
posed to be for campaigns, New York’s attorney general legations related to personal legal bills related to investi-
not for other things,” said is investigating allegations misconduct should pay legal gations into his conduct with “Frankly, I think in the case
John Kaehny, executive di- that Cuomo sexually ha- costs out-of-pocket. women and alleged perjury. of Cuomo, clearly if it’s alle-
rector of the ethics watchdog rassed several state employ- gations of sexual harassment,
group Reinvent Albany. “De- ees. An Assembly committee “I think it’s a bait-and-switch Some say such funds pro- it would seem to me that
fending yourself in a criminal is investigating whether there when you solicit campaign mote transparency, though the New York law is a little
matter is not the same as run- are grounds for impeach- support and then use it for others say they are just an- too expansive,” former FEC
ning a campaign and it’s fairly ment. Federal authorities your defense in a large inves- other way for donors to buy Commissioner Ann Ravel
obvious.” are examining whether the tigation or a trial,” Hoylman influence. said in an interview. “Because
administration manipulated said, adding that he doesn’t that is a purely personal act,
So far, sentiments like that data about COVID-19 deaths think the state should be pay- New York does limit what le- despite the fact that he was
haven’t led to changes. Pro- of nursing home patients. ing Cuomo’s legal bills, ei- gal expenses a campaign can able to engage in it because of
posals to ban campaign com- ther. “When it involves mal- cover. Political contributions his position.”
mittees from covering legal Cuomo, a Democrat, has feasance and serious charges, can’t be used for purely per-

Democratic donor convicted of offering drugs for sex; 2 died

(AP) — A federal jury apartment and pressured Prosecutors say he exploited
on Tuesday convicted a law enforcement to act after vulnerable men — most of
wealthy California po- Gemmel Moore, 26, died on them Black — by paying
litical donor on charges Buck’s floor in 2017. them to come to his home to
he injected gay men with Even after Timothy Dean, 55, use drugs and engage in sex
methamphetamine in ex- died 18 months later, it took play to satisfy a fetish. Many
change for sex, leading another nine months and the were destitute drug users
to two deaths and other near-death of another over- who often worked as prosti-
overdoses. dose victim before Buck was tutes to support their habit.
arrested in September 2019.
Ed Buck was found guilty of The defense contends all the
all nine felony counts in fed- Family members and activ- men were at Buck’s apart-
eral court, which could lead ists had pushed for Buck’s ar- ment under their own will
to a life sentence. The verdict rest since Moore died. They and that Moore and Dean did
came exactly four years after said Buck escaped criminal not die from methamphet-
one of the victims was found charges for years because of amine.
dead of an overdose in Buck’s the O.J. Simpson case — did said neither fatal overdose wealth, political ties and race.
West Hollywood apartment. not immediately return a re- victim died from meth and “I know this has been an ar-
quest for comment. that many of the alleged vic- Buck is a wealthy white man duous, lengthy and difficult
The jury deliberated for Prosecutors said Buck paid tims were drug addicts. who was active in gay causes process,” U.S. District Judge
more than four hours af- men and provided drugs and animal rights issues. He Christine A. Snyder told ju-
ter a two-week trial. Buck’s in return for sex acts. The His 2019 arrest marked has given more than $500,000 rors after she read the verdict,
defense attorneys — one of 66-year-old had pleaded not a turning point for activ- to mostly Democratic politi- according to the Los Angeles
whom was a prosecutor in guilty. His defense lawyers ists who rallied outside his cians and causes since 2000. Times.