Gov. Kathy Hochul says she has no regrets about her administration giving $637 million to a COVID fast testing firm tied to $300,000 in marketing campaign money regardless of rising outrage over the alleged pay-to-play scheme.
“I might do that every one once more,” Hochul informed reporters in Albany on Wednesday.
“I’m all the time seeking to enhance as a result of notion is vital to me as effectively. However the actuality isn't any contribution has ever had an impact on any determination we make. We comply with the foundations –all the time have all the time will,” she added.
Hochul has maintained a giant lead in polling over Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Suffolk) regardless of the litany of alleged schemes involving marketing campaign donors with pursuits as diverse as Medicaid transportation contracts to efforts to overhaul the Penn Station space.
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Albany, N.Y.
“Kathy Hochul proudly admits she’d repeat her blatant pay-to-play scheme, and that’s exactly the issue in New York,” Meeting Minority Chief William Barclay mentioned in a press release.
“Saying she’d do it once more is the primary second of honesty she’s offered on this complete ordeal,” Barclay added.
The feedback follows a cascade of revelations in regards to the no-bid deal her administration made late final 12 months with the NJ-based Digital Devices, which reportedly charged the state twice as a lot as different states paid for a similar checks, the Occasions Union has revealed in a sequence of bombshell studies.
Digital Devices founder Charlie Tebele hosted a fundraiser for the governor final November simply days earlier than she declared a state of emergency that suspended regular state oversight procedures.
“At finest this was horrendous worth gouging and at worst this was pay-to-play and worth gouging,” John Kaehny, government director of the great authorities group Reinvent Albany, mentioned final week after Hochul dismissed criticism about losing taxpayer dollars.
And because the cash started rolling into Digital Devices, founder Charlie Tebele and his household continued giving to her marketing campaign, which additionally employed his son.
Tebele hosted one other fundraiser in April weeks forward of the ultimate cost on the deal, the upstate paper has reported.
“Neither Mr. Tebele nor the corporate communicated in any method with the Governor or the Marketing campaign about checks or any firm enterprise, and any implication on the contrary is fake,” Tebele spokesman John Gallagher mentioned in an e-mail final week.
Hochul has defended the acquisition of 52 million checks, a lot of which stay unused, by saying the state wants as many as attainable to maintain colleges open because the omicron wave of COVID-19 instances swept throughout New York at the start of the 12 months.
“They did what they did,” Hochul informed The Submit when requested whether or not she was holding anybody chargeable for the controversial purchases.
Her feedback Wednesday adopted a query about what efforts her marketing campaign has made to keep away from the looks of battle of pursuits contemplating ongoing issues in regards to the jumbo-sized battle chest she has constructed whereas operating for a full time period in workplace.
“By way of managing our fundraising operations and take a look at my occasions, no authorities employees are allowed there. That could be a direct distinction to have previous practices,” she mentioned.
Her former political ally, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, confronted criticized for showing at fundraisers alongside highly effective officers like state Funds Director Robert Mujica earlier than he resigned in shame amid a number of scandals final 12 months.
“Solely the voters can maintain her & her administration accountable,” Republican comptroller candidate Paul Rodriguez tweeted Wednesday morning in regards to the pay-to-play scandal amid ongoing silence from prime Albany Democrats.
A Zeldin spokeswoman didn't present remark by publication time.
“The governor attended an in-person fundraiser hosted by the donor and employed certainly one of his relations, however claims she was unaware of any connection,” Barclay mentioned.
“It’s laughable,” he added.
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