Paladino Lauds Cuomo on Hevesi

Press Release

Citing McCall and Rattner, Paladino labels "failed" AG a "selective prosecutor"

Buffalo builder Carl Paladino, candidate for Governor of New York, today praised Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for his prosecution of former Comptroller Alan Hevesi but questioned why former Comptroller Carl McCall and Obama advisor Steve Rattner were not similarly prosecuted.

"I commend Andrew Cuomo for prosecuting Democrat Alan Hevesi," said Paladino. "Former State Comptroller Carl McCall took a hefty fee for helping move State pension fund investments to his client, yet he never filed as a broker. Why has McCall not been prosecuted - did he get a pass in exchange for his endorsement of Cuomo?"

"Obama advisor and big-time Democrat Party fundraiser Steve Rattner bribed a New York State pension fund official by slipping $88,000 to the official's brother," said Paladino. "In return for his bribe, Mr. Rattner received $75 million in state pension funds."

"Why did Andrew let Rattner slip and only prosecute the brother?" Paladino asked.

Rattner also arranged a 1.1 million dollar fee to be paid to Hevesi advisor Henry "Hank" Morris. According to the Wall Street Journal, Rattner was the "senior executive" of the Securities and Exchange Commission complaint in the probe of the pension fund kickback scheme. Rattner's employer Quadrangle Group later stated, "we wholly disavow the conduct engaged in by Steve Rattner... [His] conduct was inappropriate, wrong, and unethical."

"Andrew Cuomo has shown a disturbing pattern of letting Democrat bigwigs like McCall and Rattner off the hook," Paladino said. "Andrew's not a prosecutor, he's a selective prosecutor."

"How can the failed chief prosecutor of the most corrupt state government in America believe he should be Governor?" Paladino asked. "The people of New York hired Andrew to shine a light on Albany's rats and he failed."

According to the New York Daily News, Cuomo also failed to shine the spotlight in familiar directions. His own cousin tried to help a client cash in on state pension fund business last year - a move made amid the Attorney General's own probe of a pay-to-play scandal.

Lawyer Matthew Cuomo told the Daily news he was hired to gain access to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, despite having no background or certification in the securities industry. His face-to-face meeting marked one of the rare times last year that DiNapoli met with an investment-seeking company.

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