Thursday, October 9, 2014

BIG NEWS ! ! ! — NEW YORK POST REPORTS: U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Specifically Investigating Brooklyn’s Only Elected Republican — State Senator Martin Golden


Subpoenas served concerning $541,599 that Golden’s campaign fund[s] spent over years at a well-known local catering hall connected to Golden and his family, the Bay Ridge Manor

Timing of U.S. Attorney’s actions suspicious, considering Golden’s opponent conducted a major demonstration at the Bay Ridge Manor yesterday  —   featuring anti-corruption speakers and exhibits showing that Golden’s Campaign had spent  $541,599 at the ...Manor 


The article in the New York Post today is short and to the point.  In part this is what it’s says: “US Attorney Preet Bharara is investigating the campaign finances of Brooklyn state Sen. Martin Golden, The Post has learned. ***   Golden has hired Gottlieb & Gordon, a law firm that specializes in government investigations and white-collar crime defenses, in response to a subpoena from the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office. ***   “The campaign fund is being looked at,” acknowledged Golden, Brooklyn’s only elected Republican official. ***   But he said he didn’t know why his campaign fund was being targeted....” ( See “Bharara investigating Golden’s campaign finances” by Carl Campanile & Rich Calder, 10/9/14, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2014/10/09/bharara-investigating-goldens-campaign-finances/]).

Enough said about that for now, but isn’t it odd these subpoenas are in the news today, right after Marty Golden’s Democratic Party opponent Jamie Kemmerer had a major event in front of the Bay Ridge Manor yesterday. One of the most notable items in one of the photos of that event was an exhibit on poster board, entitled “The Golden Rule” showing the $541,599 that Golden’s campaign allegedly spent at the Manor [btw, that number had been widely known for some time] ( See yesterday’s post “Early Coverage in New York Observer first to tell the tale of today's Jamie Kemmerer rally in front of Golden’s Bay Ridge Manor” and the comments related to it, below on this blog).

23 comments:

Galewyn Massey said...

UPDATE: THE “WE CAME THIS CLOSE” EDITION

According to the folks at Google, the Bensonhurst Bean beat my “Brooklyn...Fountainhead” posting above by two minutes.

In any case, the “...Bean’s” article has a few more bits of information than mine and it is worth a look ( See “Feds Probing Senator Golden’s Campaign Accounts” by Ned Berke, 10/9/14, The Bensonhurst Bean [http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2014/10/marty-golden-investigation/]).

BUT, NED BURKE ISN'T SUSPICIOUS OF THE TIMING OF ALL THIS – LIKE I AM ...

Anonymous said...

If its in the NY Post its gotta be true

Anonymous said...

at least Senator Golden dosent have an outstanding warrant out for him like kemmerer

Anonymous said...

Get used to hearing about Congressman Golden.

Anonymous said...

Golden's a fake, a RINO, and involved in this shady campaign finance business for years... deserves what he gets

too bad dems put up a weak candidate, this could've been marty's year to be taken down

Anonymous said...

Well, I'll believe it when I read about it in Gerry with a G's column in the Home Reporter. Than we'll know Preet is really investigating. And Mr. Gerry Kassar is sure to give us all the details.

In related news, stopped by a reporter on his way down to the surf earlier along the walkway in Breezy, former District Attorney Joe Hynes would only say, "I still believe Marty is an honest player."

Ah, Irishmen and their loyalty - just like Whitey Bulger . . .

Anonymous said...

I thought Breezy Point was Hynes summer home?

Summer is over.

Galewyn Massey said...

BACKFILL & A BACK STORY: THE “TIME-DELAYED FORMULA” EDITION

AS A LINE IN MY POST AND ANOTHER IN MY COMMENT ABOVE WOULD INDICATE, I AM VERY SUSPICIOUS OF THE TIMING OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH THIS STORY ABOUT THE GOLDEN INVESTIGATION BY U.S. ATTORNEY PREET BHARARA

REPORTS OF ANTI-GOLDEN RALLY AND BHARARA’S INVESTIGATION OF GOLDEN CREATES A FALSE TIMELINE — LOTS OF THINGS WERE KNOWN FOR QUITE A WHILE BEFORE THE STORY BROKE

I made a few calls and this is what I got. The story that appeared in the Post earlier today was hanging around for a few days. The Kemmerer folks knew about the U.S. Attorney’s investigation of Golden’s campaign expenditures and other matters for some time, and certainly before they held their rally with Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu in front of the Bay Ridge Manor earlier this week.

Marty Golden has been aware of these investigations for some time; and the firm Gottleib & Gordon had been on the case before the story broke this week.

The New York Post had this story for some time, they were making calls and doing other background in time to have the story out before the Kemmerer rally on Wednesday. However, for some reason the Post story was held back for today’s release. Perhaps the delay might be specifically attributable to State Senator Golden’s making some “on the record” personal statements about the investigation to Post reporter Carl Camponile, with a couple of Golden quotes appearing in the Post article. Clearly, the Post was in no rush with the news — perhaps even letting Marty Golden himself control the timing and spin of the story.

Speaking of the News, the other city-wide tabloid, the NY Daily News, has been mum on the story, which is also cause for some suspicion of a real wet blanket being thrown over this story by ykw and his people.

But make no mistake, this information was out there before the Kemmerer campaign had finalized their plans for the Wednesday rally and prepared their poster-board exhibits. I was given two widely different time frames in communications with two of my Baker Street Irregulars: one was three days; while the other clearly told me three weeks. The former is occasionally active with Kemmerer; and the latter’s contacts are largely in the Golden camp.

Anonymous said...

If only Lucretia ran against Golden in the primary....

Anonymous said...

But what does this timeline aspect of the story mean? What do you conclude from it?

Galewyn Massey said...

RESPONSE: THE "CONSPIRACY THEORIES" EDITION

First: Golden, and no doubt some of his people, have known about this Federal investigation for some time now. However, they only talked about a little bit of what they know, only when they had to, because the Post found out about it and so did the Kemmerer folks.

Second: the Post story about the Golden investigation was suppoeed to be in the paper before the Teachout-Wu-Kemmerer Bay Ridge Manor rally; except for some reason the Post pushed it back a day.

That leaves one big question about timing -- who knew first, the Post or the Kemmerer folks ? If it's the latter, then there might have been a special leak to them from the Federal prosecutor's office.

A little covered part of Kemmerer's speech at the Bay Ridge Manor rally was his calling out Marty Golden to tell all that he knows about about the investigations of his campaign finances and fund raising, and other matters.

That showed that Jamie Kemmerer knew that Golden knew something to tell about the investigations. So how did Kemmerer know that ? And that's a question about knowing not timing.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it weird that the only Brooklyn republicans that hold a party or public office that are so far clean as a whistle are Eaton and co.?

Anonymous said...

Joe Hynes didn't like Craig Eaton at all! He detested him. If Craig is the Eaton to whom you are referring.

Galewyn Massey said...

UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE “FREUDIAN SLIP” EDITION

YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP — GOLDEN CAMPAIGN LISTS LAW FIRM AS “GOTTLIED & GOTTLIED” — “GOT LIED” ! OH BOY ! A GUILTY CONSCIENCE NEEDS A LIAR, I SUPPOSE

ELECTION FILING SHOWS THAT MARTY GOLDEN’S PEOPLE KNEW THAT THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION LOOKING AT CAMPAIGN FINANCES AND FUND RAISING BEFORE AUGUST 6, 2014

If you go to State Senator Martin Golden’s latest financial disclosures to the NYS Board of Elections (“Friends of Marty Golden”) you will find an item that pretty much establishes that Golden’s Campaign Committee knew that they had a big problem with the U.S. Attorney’s investigation for quite some time (See “FRIENDS OF MARTY GOLDEN – NYS BOARD OF ELECTIONS FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT,” date of query 10/10/14, NYS BOE/ Financial Disclosure Reports
[http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=efs_sch_report+p_filer_id=A13015+p_e_year=2014+p_freport_id=D+p_transaction_code=F]). In part, the report says the following:
“FRIENDS OF MARTY GOLDEN *** NYS BOARD OF ELECTIONS FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT *** Filer ID: A13015 2014 SCHEDULE: F EXPENDITURES/PAYMENTS ***
08/06/14 GOTTLIED & GOTTLIED LLP 111 BROADWAY NEW YORK NY 10006
CHK8564 $10,000.00 PROFL *** Filer ID: A13015 2014 D SCHEDULE: F”

Whether the use of the name “Gottlied & Gottlied LLP” at “111 Broadway...” instead of “Gottlieb & Gordon” was intentional or an accident remains to be seen. However, if it was a slip, it was certainly a Freudian slip.

What this does show is when people like Jerry Kassar were strongly denying that there was any investigation, or when the State Senator himself was feigning outrage at a Bay Ridge debate, it was all part of a BIG LIE DEFENSE STRATEGY by Golden and the Golden Campaign.

Anonymous said...

Were Hynes campaign functions at The Bay Ridge Manor paid with the Morrish funny money??

No checks on Hynes campaign disclosures for the Manor.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Hynes started to use Jack Malone's establishment(s) in the later years. And the use of them would not necessarily show up on campaign disclosures. The Money Laundering Bureau had a way of bringing in lots a cash from its "soon to be but then never became" defendants. Former Deputy District Attorney Dino Amoroso maintained a very close working relationship with Senator Marty Golden and his staff and Dino liked to use cash because he once said that it made no enemies. But I do not know what that means. When I first heard it said "cash makes no enemies" I asked the Chief of Money Laundering (It is in an email somewhere) but he never answered me.

Anonymous said...

Hynes isn't DA anymore, He isn't A REpublican and he isn't running on the Republican line for anything in2014, so why is anybody bringing him up now?

Anonymous said...

Former District Attorney Joe Hynes is a bonafide Bay Ridge Republican. He left the Democratic reservation officially in October 2013 and converted. He even held a press conference on the steps of Brooklyn Boro Hall surrounded by many South Brooklyn/Bay Ridge Republican leaders to announce to the world his conversion. Staten Island came too. It was a big event by local Republican standards I am told. Some on the inside said Republican Joe Hynes would bring some class and respect to the Brooklyn Republicans (How'd that work out for you?)

Galewyn Massey said...

UPDATE & BACKFILL: THE “DOES THE POLLYWOG HAVE LEGS YET” OR “WHY DO SOME DOGS NOT BARK ?” EDITION

SOME LOCAL PAPERS HAVE PICKED UP ON THE NY POST STORY ABOUT STATE SENATOR GOLDEN & THE US ATTORNEY — OTHERS NOT YET — DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN THE DOGS DON’T BARK

Another local paper did pick up the story about State Senator Martin Golden’s problems with the U.S. Attorney looking into the corruption uncovered by the Moreland Commission, which was started then shut down by Governor Cuomo, and probably a lot of other things (See “Striking Golden: Feds investigate pol’s campaign spending” by Max Jaeger, 10/10/14, Courier Life’s Brooklyn Daily [http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2014/42/br-golden-rule-2014-10-17-bk_2014_42.html]).

Max Jaeger, the Brooklyn Daily’s reporter on the story, seemed to add a little to the narrative, as well. Here’s what MJ wrote, “Golden declined to comment for this article, and his office did not return requests for a statement, but his attorney pledged full cooperation with the federal investigation.” This suggests that the reporter called Gottlieb & Gordon and got a statement from somebody there.

Also, it still looks like quotes from Marty Golden on this story are something that is an “exclusive” to the NY Post.

It remains to be seen whether the Home Reporter, the Brooklyn/ Bay Ridge Eagle and/or the NY Daily News get onto this story any time soon. The NY Times will probably get onto the story some time after the book is written about it.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 8:56 AM isn't as anonymous as she thinks. Sometimes she gets things mixed up in her brain. She has everything wrong about Hynes and the Republican Party from all her past comments and this one too.

Anonymous said...

True, anointing Mr. Hynes to the fraternity that is the Brooklyn Republican/Conservative Party was not solely to bring respect to the organization. It was also thought that if a Mr. John Quaglione hung tight to Republican Mr. Hynes' arm along the campaign trail then he himself (Quaglione that is) might win in his own election. And that seemed very important to Mr. Hynes as he once called the opponent to Mr. Quaglione the same thing that those who drive to the left on Falls Road call Irish cigarettes. And I tell you that was for sure a Joycean epiphany or me - him using that term and all - because it was then that a knew Mr. Hynes was no Democrat. I never followed up on the Quaglione run. How'd that work out for you?

Anonymous said...

What planet is this one from

Galewyn Massey said...

BACKFILL [CLARIFICATION OF ALL THIS QUOTING OF MARTY GOLDEN]: THE “WHAT CAME FIRST, LAST OR SIDEWAYS” EDITION

ANOTHER GOLDEN QUOTE WAS IN THE NEW YORK POST ON 10/9/14 — WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ALL THAT ?

MAYBE, MORE QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ASKED ABOUT GOLDEN’S CONVERSATIONS WITH NY POST REPORTERS ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER 7th and 8th — WHAT ELSE DOES THE NY POST AND MARTY GOLDEN KNOW — BUT NEITHER WILL TELL


There was another MG quote in the New York Post, which was generated long about the time that paper held back its story about the Preet Bharara’s investigation of Golden for a day.

It’s not very much of a quote by the hard-pressed State Senator, but here it is: “‘One party control means overspending, tax increases and more people having to leave the state,’ said state Senator Marty Golden [sic], who represents Bay Ridge. ‘It’s nuts.’....” This quote seems to be a drop-in by the Post, because it needed some kind of response from somebody in the GOP ( See “De Blasio, wife kick off push to win back state Senate” by Michael Gartland, 10/9/14, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2014/10/09/de-blasio-wife-kick-off-push-to-win-back-state-senate/]).

When the New York Post needed a comment from a Republican, somebody at the paper probably said, “Just get Marty Golden... we already have a lot going on with him.” Somebody else might even have said, “Sure, he owes us a favor...”

As a hard-core Golden supporter back in the day used to say, “The question begs...” — How much was Marty Golden talking to New York Post reporters on October 7th and 8th, and maybe even before that, about this ’n’ that then appeared on October 9th ? Of course, the more important issues involve the main story relative to Golden that appeared in the Post on October 9th, the article about the Preet Bharara investigation. What was everything that was discussed between Golden and Post reporters Carl Campanile, Rich Calder and maybe others concerning the pending Federal investigation of Golden’s campaign finances and fund raising ?

For some reason, the Post definitely held back that story at least a day, because one of my BSIs close to the Kemmerer campaign has confirmed that the Kemmerer folks expected a harder hitting article to appear in the New York Post on October 8th than the one that eventually appeared on the 9th. October 8th was the day planned for the big Democrat rally at the Bay Ridge Manor — it went forward as planned without the article having appeared in the Post as expected.

What does a “harder hitting article” mean ? Your guess is as good as mine, but to me it sounds like the Post didn’t just hold up publication of the story for a day, it sounds like the Post held out some more tough stuff that was supposed to be in the article.

In any case, the Kemmerer folks do have another card or two up their sleeve about Golden and about what Bharara is looking at.

Stand by for more on this.