1 March 2022: NY Viewers of Cuomo Ad Want to Know Who Paid for It and If It's Legal

Questions over Cuomo ads

The following excerpt answers the questions being raised by New Yorkers in this report:

The 30-second ad, entitled Politics vs. The Law, began running on Monday in television markets across the state including in Buffalo on WGRZ-TV.

According to the New York Times, the $369,000 ad buy is being funded through Cuomo's massive campaign war chest.

Under the current New York Election Law, it is legal for Cuomo, though no longer in office and while not an announced candidate for anything, to use his estimated $16 million campaign coffers to pay for these ads and more.

In fact, he can use it for pretty much anything except for personal expenses, the definition of which is open for interpretation, if it can be even loosely tied to his past service or a future campaign.

"New York law is more swiss cheese than it is law," said Blair Horner, Executive Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

The best way to describe New York's laws is that they're mainly designed to benefit those who hold political power in the state. Even and perhaps especially after they've left office.