Cuomo: I'm As Responsible For Silver As Obama Is For Weiner
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he can't be blamed for the charges that prompted state Sheldon Silver to resign as state Assembly speaker any more than President Barack Obama can be blamed for former Rep. Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal.
In a profile in The New Yorker published online Monday, the governor says the corruption charges against Silver relate to the acts of an individual legislator.
He defends his decision to disband the Moreland Commission investigating government corruption, saying that in exchange lawmakers passed modest ethics reforms and prosecutors obtained the commission's files anyway.
Cuomo says the Moreland Commission subpoenaed the outside info of lawmakers, but the Senate and Assembly banded together to "quash the subpoenas" in court.
Ending the panel broke the logjam, Cuomo argues.
"We get the legislation I wanted in the first place," Cuomo told the magazine. "Moreland takes the same cases and the same subpoenas and hands them to local D.A.s and to (U.S. Attorney) Preet (Bharara)."
Cuomo compares his lack of responsibility for Silver's alleged corruption to Obama's responsibility for Weiner, who resigned his seat in Congress in 2011 after admitting to sending explicit photos to women.
"If Anthony Weiner shows his private parts, do you blame Obama?" Cuomo said. "These are criminal acts of individual legislators. What would you have me do?"
Silver has said he will be exonerated.
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