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DEFRANCISCO HAS QUESTIONS FOR CUOMO
By Spectrum News Staff | February 8, 2018 @12:05 PM
Republican gubernatorial candidate John DeFrancisco on Thursday called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to answer questions that have arisen out of the fraud and corruption trial of his former close aide, Joe Percoco.
Since the trial has started in New York City, Cuomo has declined to answer questions about the specifics of the trial and the case against Percoco, citing his respect for letting prosecutors do their job. Cuomo himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
But DeFrancisco, who held a news conference outside of the courthouse in lower Manhattan, insisted Cuomo isn’t bound by any legal requirement to stay silent.
“Andrew Cuomo needs to man up and explain himself,” said DeFrancsico, the deputy majority leader in the state Senate. “When New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came under fire, he answered every question the news media had, just as former New York City mayor David Dinkins did in the early 1990’s over a business controversy. That’s what men and women with conviction do when they have nothing to hide; they make themselves available and accountable. Let’s see if Andy Cuomo has the kind of mettle.”
The trial has raised questions about Percoco’s influence in the governor’s office and why, in 2014, Percoco was working as the governor’s campaign manager, but also apparently had continued access to government meetings and office space. The testimony of Todd Howe, a former consultant with longtime ties to Cuomo and Percoco, pulled back the curtain of campaign finance practices and influence peddling in state government.
Percoco is accused of receiving bribes and kickbacks in exchange for official help on economic development contracts.
Cuomo, a Democrat, is seeking a third term this year.
DeFrancisco has questions for Cuomo
