28 August 2021: Cuomo Donors Advised to Request Refund of Campaign Donations

Disgraced Cuomo under pressure to refund millions in campaign donations

Elected politicians in New York's state government are advising former donors to Andrew M. Cuomo's political campaigns to seek refunds.

Anticipating that Cuomo won’t relinquish the pile of cash so easily, State Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) said donors should contact Cuomo’s campaign and ask for refunds.

“I urge all donors to Andrew Cuomo’s 2022 campaign to request refunds of their contributions. I also urge Mr. Cuomo to close his account and return all contributions voluntarily,” Krueger, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee said Friday.

“I suspect he will not, but should he refuse to do this, it is important for those who have supported the former governor in the past to understand that their money will now be used to lie about and attack his perceived enemies.”...

“By rescinding their support, these donors can stand with the victims of the former governor’s harassment and with the family members of those who died of COVID in nursing homes but had to wait months to learn the truth,” Krueger said.

The unanswered question is how many big money donors will request the retired-in-disgrace Cuomo refund their campaign contribution. The report indicates that some donors view the money as a sunk cost, but the following excerpt identifies one donor who will seek a refund:

One hefty Cuomo donor turned critic, Jeff Gural, told The Post Friday “I would love to” get a refund. He declined to elaborate.

Gural is a real estate magnate who also owns racehorses and an upstate casino. He gave the Cuomo campaign $50,000 during the current election cycle and $130,000 during the course of his political career.

In New York, many powerful politicians like Cuomo raised money for their campaigns on a "pay-for-play" basis, where their power to either influence government spending to to influence government approval for business projects has fostered an inherently corrupt political culture.

Senator urges Cuomo's donors: Ask for your money back

This report on the same story presents some additional information:

Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat and chair of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a statement Friday alleging the use of the fund to fuel any "desire for revenge" by Cuomo is not a permitted campaign expenditure. She asserted that the $18.3 million in his campaign account for governor is being used to "lie about and attack his perceived enemies."

Cuomo's former secretary to the governor, Melissa DeRosa, recently said in a recent statement that Cuomo has "no interest" in running for public office again. If he is not intending to run again, Krueger said, then Cuomo is spending his campaign money for "personal use," which she understands is not be permitted under the state's campaign finance laws.

Instead, people should ask for their money back, Krueger said. Cuomo does not necessarily have to return the contributions even if a donor requests he return the funds.

"I didn't think Mr. Cuomo is going to change his behavior because I pointed this out," Krueger said to the Times Union. "I actually thought it was an important thing to get out there so that the press is aware that this is probably an illegal use of those funds."

DeRosa's statement that Cuomo has "no interest" in running for public office again is interesting. If true, Cuomo has no legitimate business in spending any accumulated funds in his campaign accounts.