State Senator John Sampson's Conviction is another dose of very harsh medicine for his Brooklyn Senate colleague, who also under investigation by the same prosecutor, and all those around that find themselves anywhere near that State Senator
For Preet Bharara to break the corruption of the "three men in a room" approach to politics, which is still being practiced right in his face -- The Manhattan Federal Prosecutor has to break the Republican control of the NYS Senate
A report in today's Daily News more than suggests Preet Bharara isn't finished cleaning up Albany --- That means he's not finished cleaning up the New York State Senate
“Either way, it seems there won’t be any letup soon.” -- Former Brooklyn USAA for Public Integrity
For some time now, I have been a little rough in my treatment of State Senator Martin Golden. Largely, that's been because of his largely "me -- first, and everybody else who can't help me -- last" approach to politics. I could have overlooked a lot of that, and for a long time I did. If the State Senator had been more loyal to his own GOP party, and to his GOP running mates in election after election, he'd probably still have me in his corner -- even with his current problems. But all of that changed for good early in 2013. It was then that two off Golden's staffers at the time wanted to meet me for breakfast [the back &forth was a little less straight forward than that, but let's leave it at that]. At that breakfast meeting, I was told how popular my attacks on the County Chairman and several of his closest supporters were at NYSS Golden's Bay Ridge Office, and that even some of the Albany staff followed my blog. Then I was told that I should be happy to hear that there were going to be a bunch of changes in the Brooklyn GOP organization. Marty Golden's open break with the Brooklyn GOP County Chairman and the Kings County Republican Organization happened around the same time as my breakfast meeting with the Golden staffers.
Discussions with the Kings County Republican Chairman and several other members of the Brooklyn and New York State GOP infrastructure confirmed my conclusions in two key areas: first, Marty Golden is a RINO [Republican in Name Only] -- he has done very little to advance the Republican Organization, Republican candidates or a Republican sensibility throughout his district --- or even to support fellow Republican State Senate candidates, who were competitive, and sometimes even capable of winning, in districts adjoining Golden's; second, Marty Golden is a PACINO [pretend ardent conservative in name only] -- he has become a reliable vote in pursuing the agenda of NY's progressive Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo, all to the detriment of several socially and fiscally conservative constituencies.
HOW THAT ALL TIES IN WITH WHAT PREET BHARARA HAS DONE --- AND LIKELY WILL BE DOING
This is an independent Republican blog that has some very clear conservative and sometimes down-right right-wing leanings. My posts largely come from cited sources, and I do try to give the material some bight, or punch, or local relevance.
Many comment makers on this blog have made it seem like I am personally gloating or otherwise gleeful at the discomfiture of State Senator Golden, his staff, and/or his other associates and supporters. That is much more stylistic than driven by personal animus, either to him or anybody around him. (I am not in any way referring to comment makers who are apparently very critical of Mr. Golden, and who might even be gloating or gleeful. I make no defense, apologies or excuses for them or the material that they might put on this blog.)
That being said, I do intend to report on what is happening and how it effects this story.
WHAT'S HAPPENIN' THE DAILY NEWS -- I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENIN' IN THE DAILY NEWS
According to an article in today's Daily [Sunday] News by John Marzulli, "The convictions of two high-ranking New York lawmakers last week shows the sleaze runs deep in Albany.... Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has said there is a 'certain percentage' of politicians in Albany who are corrupt, which is underscored by the more than two dozen officials elected in the state who have been arrested or convicted since 2008.... 'There’s more than a few bad apples, it’s a bushel of bad apples,' said Dick Dadey, executive director of the good-government group Citizens Union.... Add to that rotten core state Sen. Thomas Libous (R-Binghamton), who was found guilty of lying to FBI agents, and state Sen. John Sampson (D-Brooklyn), who was convicted of obstructing a federal investigation. Libous was the No. 2 Republican in the state Senate...." (See "More than a few bad apples: Albany politicians are corrupt, Manhattan U.S. Attorney says" by John Marzulli,7/25/15 [in 7/26/15 print editions], NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/albany-politicians-corrupt-manhattan-u-s-attorney-article-1.2304402]).
THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES HANGING OVER LOCAL BAY RIDGE POL AND HIS PEEPS
Note what Libous and Sampson were convicted of -- "lying to FBI agents" and "obstructing a federal investigation." It is exactly charges like that which are very threatening to any politicians now being investigated by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara. In fact, they are the real hidden trap or pitfall in any investigation --- because it extends to all appropriate questions involved in the investigation. Significantly, those kinds of charges can be brought against anybody questioned in connection with the person targeted in the investigation.THE ZEAL OF THE PROSECUTORS
In my last post, I noted how it was the zeal that Preet Bharara brought to his prosecutions that was most worrying to State Snator Golden and those close to him. Passages like this really have to be quite bothersome to Golden, his staff, his business associates, his political associates and his family: “Is it more corruption in Albany or more aggressive prosecutions in New York?” wondered Roger Burlingame, the former chief of the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office public integrity unit. “Either way, it seems there won’t be any letup soon.”
With that in mind look at how the article in today's News summed up: "The feds in Manhattan and Brooklyn have aggressively investigated pols using techniques, like flipping co-conspirators, wiretaps, undercover agents and video surveillance, which have been employed effectively against organized crime.... 'The U.S. attorney in Manhattan generally believes Albany is corrupt and that the politicians are not acting in the public interest, so that’s the area where he is going to focus,' said lawyer Bradley Simon, a former federal prosecutor who represented ex-state Controller Alan Hevesi on corruption charges.... Before Cuomo put the Moreland Commission out of business, then-Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch testified before the commission that the corruption cases have a corrosive effect on society and weaken the political system as well.... 'Those officials who are truly trying to do good are cast in the same light as those who are engaging in wrongdoing, rendering them less effective,' said Lynch, who is now the U.S. attorney general."
All of that means there is likely to be no let-up is in sight when it comes to Preet Bharara's investigation of our local state senator.
5 comments:
Where should we meet for some drink when it is announced that Preet gets the RINO?
Let's crash an event at the Manor. It's only fitting!
Didn't PACINO play "Serpico." Officer Marty Golden wasn't any Frank Serpico. Maybe, there's a karma going on.
Gale, I hear from one of my regulars that Marty and his puppet Gerry are rallying their BOE troops these days....you know the three pawns that they control and a few others who are highly paid BOE employees? Getting them ready for something maybe?
I also hear from one of my other regulars that the some other people are ready and anxious to unload and unleash a treasure trove of mail, emails, robo calls etc...detailing with "specific facts", the timeline of FACTS which took place the last time around.
Fact # 1 - Golden and Kassar started a "Republicans for Change" group headed by Hot Dog Timmmmmeeee C. who has vanished to a far away place since all his business ventures failed and he had to go get a job....;
Fact # 2 - Prior to starting the RFC, Golden libeled and slandered Eaton in the press (all during the time that Eaton's younger sister was dying of cancer - what a disgusting thing for him to do) ;
Fact # 3 - Golden stated in many local newspapers and at many RFC meetings that "Eaton was the unnamed shadowy figure in the Malcolm Smith Criminal Investigation" and spread this story to elected officials, NYS GOP Party officials, etc etc etc;
Fact # 4 - Golden and Kassar lost the Convention;
Fact # 5 - Golden and Kassar lost the Court fight to throw out Eaton's Convention;
Fact # 6 - The RFC Team does nothing; all his new leaders do nothing; Golden just gets older, looks older and accomplishes nothing - except for his concerts in the park for which he takes credit but uses tax payer dollars to host them;
Fact # 6 - Two years later, that very same "RFC" Senator is himself under a federal criminal investigation.
It would be funny, almost comical, that two years ago a Senator makes accusations against a County Chair, and two years later, now, it is the Senator who himself is in "hot water".
Karma is a bitch when the tables turn my friends.....
I dont know for sure, but I am certain that there are certain people chomping at the bit, just waiting for the right time to unleash their fury against one State Senator.....and his Chief of Staff.....
RESPOSNSE: THE "THIS 'N' THAT" EDITION
SOME OF THAT IS SERIOUS, SOME OF IT IS SILLY, SOME OF IT IS SAD AND SOME OF IT SLIPS RIGHT THROUGH YOUR FINGERS LIKE FINE SAND
The sad part of all of this is that Brooklyn GOP Chairman was once one of NYS Senator Martin Golden's reliable allies. The problems between them began back a few years ago when Golden all but told Eaton that he wanted to run the Kings County Republican Organization from soup to nuts, top to bottom.
The serious part is the underhanded and corrupt way that Golden and his operatives have gone and continue to go about doing their "business" inside the Brooklyn GOP.
The silly part is that anybody Golden puts forward as a "leader" -- Countty-wide or in districts -- will be expected to be Golden puppets -- because there's so much that Golden doesn't know about related to the Brooklyn GOP.
The part that slips through your fingers like fine sand are the people, places and things that seemed so important at the time -- back in 2012, it was attempting to put Simon Shamoun in as the BOE Commissioner and Peter Cipriano in as a State Committee Member in the 47th AD.
[eventually, the former was accomplished by scullduggery -- the latter failed completely]. Wait a minute, Golden's pulling all that for those two guys back then was serious, silly and sad, as well.
Somethings never change.
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