13 May 2021: Will New Yorkers be Forced to Pay for Cuomo's Personal Legal Defense?

Cuomo Hired Lawyers in N.Y. Scandal Without Saying Who Will Pay

Should New York taxpayers be on the hook for the cost of Governor Cuomo's alleged personal misconduct? According to this report, they may be:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his staff have retained legal counsel for at least three federal and state investigations into alleged misdoings. The question now is how they’re going to pay for it.

At issue is a state finance law that requires contracts by the third-term Democrat or his staff worth more than $50,000 to first be approved by the state’s comptroller, who serves as New York’s chief financial officer. The comptroller’s office says Cuomo hasn’t submitted any requests to authorize contracts with the multiple law firms the governor and his staff have retained over the last few months.

Without authorization, it’s unclear whether the Cuomo administration’s mounting legal bills will be paid for by taxpayers, campaign funds, personally by Cuomo -- or a mix of the three.

Cuomo’s office, which could be at risk of violating state finance rules if it doesn’t seek contract approval, said it’s still in the process of finalizing the contracts.

For someone credibly accused of misappropriating state resources to benefit himself, his family members and his close political associates, Governor Cuomo's lack of transparency regarding who will pay for legal representation from which he personally benefits furthers the appearance of corruption.