Republican Super Pac America Rising will file a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday asking for records related to the Cuomo administration’s role in the Moreland commission’s subpoena process, Capital New York reports.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed the Moreland Commission in July, "after legislators failed to pass a new ethics bill during the legislative session, despite a spate of arrests that include members of the State Legislature."
But the commission hasn't gone exactly as planned. Legislators promptly rebuffed requests to dislose their outside income, and when the commission's investigation expanded to include some Cuomo allies, the administration reportedly intervened to deflect the subpoenas.
The letter from America Rising quotes two Daily News stories that reported commissioners were discouraged from issuing subpoenas to the Real Estate Board of New York and to the New York State Democratic Party. Neither of those groups was ultimately subpoenaed, though the state Republican and Independence parties did receive subpoenas.
America Rising requests any "copies of all physical and or electronic correspondence, memoranda, scheduled meetings and records of phone calls between the staff of Governor Andrew Cuomo and members and staff of the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption" relating to the Real Estate Board and party-related subpoenas.