11 June 2021: NY Assembly to Tap State Legal Fund to Pay for Cuomo Impeachment Probe

Lawmakers set aside money for potential Cuomo impeachment

The New York legislature approved bills this week that would draw funds from the money the state government normally sets aside to pay judgments in lawsuits it loses to pay for its unlimited impeachment probe. This report provides some details for how it would use the money:

A potential impeachment of Gov. Andrew Cuomo would be funded under legislation given final approval by state lawmakers this week as investigations into multiple controversies facing the three-term Democrat continue.

The bill would allow lawmakers to dip into a $156.9 million fund of existing money usually set aside for the state to pay for lawsuits. If signed into law by the governor himself, the money would be used to conduct interviews, investigations and hold hearings "necessary to inform the decisions relating to such proceedings" under the impeachment provisions in the state constitution.

Cuomo would be barred from seeking reimbursement for services and expenses related to legal representation in an impeachment, however.

Under this legislation, the legislature would pay the cost of both the Assembly's super-slow motion impeachment investigation and any subsequent impeachment trial of Governor Cuomo in the New York State Senate by tapping money from this fund.