TESTING THE 2018 CHALLENGERS: 

The Posturing Liars
who are the Four Attorney General Candidates
for the Democratic Party Line

DEBATE #2:
AUGUST 28, 2018

sponsored by Spectrum News-NY1,
with cooperation by CUNY's College of Criminal Justice
ticketed event

Moderators
Errol Louis  & here
Liz Benjamin

July 26, 2018
"Democratic AG Candidates to Debate on NY 1"
NY 1 (Bobby Cuza)

July 26, 2018
"Democratic AG Candidates To Debate on Spectrum News/NY-1"
State of Politics (Nick Reisman)

Spectrum News: VIDEO -- Nick Reisman (Aug 28, 2018)

VIDEO of August 28th Debate

BACKGROUND TO DEBATE --

CJA's August 28, 2018 e-mail to Democratic Attorney General Candidates --
"Today's Democratic AG Debate...::
Challenging Your Brazen Lies & Distortionn
of the AG's Constitutional Function WITH EVIDENCE"

VIDEO -- August 21, 2018:  Liz Benjamin interviewing NYS Senator Liz Krueger, about endorsement of Zephyr Teachout -- & Zephyr Teachout beside her

"...so many reasons I'm proud to have your endorsement,
I'm honored, really honored"

REALITY CHECK: 

1. VIDEO:  Legislature's February 6, 2013 budget hearing on “public protection” 
                CJA testifying last -- & before Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Krueger
   
2. VIDEO: Legislature's January 30, 2017 budget hearing on “local government officials/general government”         
               CJA testifying last -- & before Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Krueger
   
   
3. VIDEO: Legislature's January 31, 2017 budget hearing on “public protection”
          CJA testifying last -- & before Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Krueger
   

4. VIDEO: Legislature's January 30, 2018 budget hearing on “public protection” 
          CJA testifying last -- & before Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Krueger
   

5. VIDEO:  Legislature's February 5, 2018 budget hearing on “local government officials/general government”
          CJA testifying last --
                with Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Krueger having left minutes earlier
   

VIDEO of Commission to Investigate Public Corruption's Sept. 17, 2013 hearing in Manhattan
 (CJA at 2:15:40 - 2:28:04   --  Zephyr Teachout at 2:37:32 - 2:38:36)

CJA's April 15, 2013 corruption complaint
to U.S. Attorney Bharara (SDNY) 

CJA's August 26, 2018 e-mail to Moderators Louis & Benjamin --
"August 28th Debate:  Challenging Brazen Lies &
 the Distortion of the AG's Constitutional Function
by the 4 Democratic AG Candidates"

CJA's August 24, 2018 e-mail to Spectrum News Political Reporter Louis 

CJA's August 25, 2018 e-mail to Spectrum News Political Reporter Benjamin

& here's the 3 attachments to the above 4 e-mails

ATTACHMENT #1
CJA's May 4, 2018 message to Democratic Lt. Gov. Candidate Jumaane Williams,
"WINNING against Lt. Gov. Hochul is EASY and requires NO MONEY --
You only have to use the 'BULLY PULPIT' of your candidacy to 'BLOW THE WHISTLE'"

ATTACHMENT #2
CJA's August 17, 2018 e-mail to Senior Advisor to Democratic AG Candidate Sean Patrick Maloney's Campaign --
"Demonstrating to Voters -- & to the Other AG Candidates --
the Integrity & Independence Requisite for NY's Attorney General"

ATTACHMENT #3
CJA's May 18, 2018 letter to Interim Attorney General Candidates,
attaching May 16, 2018 NOTICE/complaint
to then Acting Attorney General/Interim AG Candidate Barbara Underwood --
"Testing the Fitness of Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood --
& Every Other Candidate for Interim Attorney General"

& here's the furnished links to the substantiating EVIDENCE

FURNISHED LINK #1:
CJA's webpage for Democratic Lt. Gov. Candidate Williams, posting referred-to EVIDENCE

FURNISHED LINK #2:
CJA's webpage for appeal brief & 3-volume record on appeal
in 2nd citizen-taxpayer action

FURNISHED LINK #3:
CJA's menu page for correspondence with Attorney General Underwood,
from which ALL substantiating EVIDENCE is accessible,
spanning from CJA's May 16, 2018 NOTICE/complaint to Appellate Division, 3rd Dept.

FEATURING:  the referred-to webpage: 
"Educating the Candidates & Public About the Attorney General's Role"

CJA's August 28, 2018 e-mail to the Press --
"Behind-the-scenes of tonight's Democratic AG debate --
Challenging the brazen lies & distortion of the AG's constitutional function -- WITH EVIDENCE"

sent, on Aug. 28th to additional press:  here

SPECTRUM NEWS' REPORTING:

Spectrum News:  VIDEO-blog:  (Aug 28, 2018)

ON INDEPENDENCE --

James:  "The office of attorney general is independent from the office of the governor, and I don't believe that anyone can question my independence.  Most recently individuals have challenged my independence, but the reality is is that up until this point in time no one has ever challenged my independence.  I have been fiercely independent over 20 years, I have a 20 year body of evidence, a 20 year body of work... And standing up to corruption and speaking truth to power and will continue to do that as the next attorney general..."

Maloney:   "You've got to tell the governor to bud out.   Because you only work for one client, the People of the State of New York"

Eve:  "Independence.  Absolutely,  I will prosecute, investigate, do whatever I need to do to root out corruption wherever I may find it, anywhere in this state.  This is an independent office, reflected in the state's constitution."

Teachout:   "I really see independence as essential to the job descripton.  And that's especially true now because we have had too many years of corruption scandals in Albany.  And it's very clear that Albany isn't going to clean itself up.  It is very clear that the Governor is not taking the corruption scandals seriously.   And when we look at independence, you know, even in the last 2-1/2 months of this campaign.  I have been the only one to really turn to the Governor and be able stand up to him on really specific issues saying, I think the head of JCOPE, his former lawyer, Seth Agata, should resign, saying that I think that he has the obligation to restart the Moreland Commission right now.  It is one of the reasons that The New York Times endorsed me, is because they see that I will have the ability to be truly independent.  And it is a crisis moment right now in our state if we don't have an independent attorney general."

ON PUBLIC CORRUPTION --

Teachout:  We unfortunately have never had a New York state attorney general who has made investigating and prosecuting public corruption in Albany and with high-powered figures a top priority.  So I would certainly beef up both the criminal and the public integrity unit at the AG's office.   In 2014, when Andrew Cuomo shut down the Moreland Commission, he never actually formally rescinded the order.  I actually wrote a public letter to Eric Schneiderman at the same time, at the time, saying you have the obligation to continue to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute corruption cases.    Nothing happened.  Instead, Preet Bharara came along and took the files from the Moreland Commission and brought really important cases.  But we cannot rely on the Southern District of New York.  So, one, I would use the existing authority in Executive Order 106.  Two, there is other authority that comes with referrals from the comptroller's office. And three, because I see the red light is flashing, I want to say that this is an area where I not only have the independence, but the experise.  I know how to use corruption laws, I am an anti-corruption expert.  I know tools that have not been used and have been used that we can dig up from the past and it is past time that we clean up Albany because it is holding us back as a state in so many ways. 

Eve:  I can't speak for the motivations for why prior attorneys general didn't prosecute and investigate corruption to the extent they should have. But, I guarantee you, I commit to every single New Yorker as the next attorney general I will aggressively investigate and prosecute public corruption.  I will advocate for more robust statutes so that we don't have to rely as much on referrals, but I would use the existing authority under the still in-effect executive order and the memorandum of agreement tht was entered into between the state comptroller and the attorney general in 2011is powerful, it'spowerful.  It basically says the attorney general, in partnership with the state comptroller, has the ability to investigate and prosecute any alleged misuse of taxpayer funds, whether by a state legislature, whether by a business, whether by a non-profit.  So the law needs to be more robust, but the existing authority is robust, and I will use it to the fullest to make sure that we root out corruption particularly with respect to the use of taxpayer funds.

James:  The existing order of 106, the Moreland Commission, has for all intents and purposes has ended.   It's merely technical.  The governor has rescinded 106.  The focus really should be on the next Moreland Commission and hving original jursidiction  by the attorney general of the state of New York.  In addition to that, working with all 62 district attorneys of the state of New York, working with the comptroller of the state of New York,  on operation integrity, and working with a number of agencies to root out corruption.  And it is important for one can leverage the existing civil and criminal ability of the attorney general.  And it's important that individuals to understand  the role of the attorney general.  That the office of the attorney general is the state's attorney and that the criminal jurisdiction of the attorney general is somewhat circumscribed and so that it is really critically important that we get referrals from different agencies and that we get original jurisdiction, independent jurisdiction from the governor of the state of New York.   ...   We would be aggressively enforcing the law, because we will not tolerate corruption...   but it's important that we work with agencies, it's important that we work with the Southern District of New York, it is important that we work with the comptroller and all 62 counties in the, 62 district attorneys in the state of New York.  But last but not least we need to use to use existing jurisdiction that the office of attorney general currently has, both civilly and criminally, to root out corruption both on the statewide, on a statewide level, and in Washington.

Maloney:  ...I will appoint a senior deputy attorney general whose only job is public corruption...And we need to also have that same person working full time on referrals from the governor, from the comptroller, and that partnership is very important, authority heads and everyone else and especialy the D.A.s who have primary criminal jurisdiction for this.  And, by the way, I don't have any ego in this. I am happy to work with the Southern District of New York.  What the hell is wrong with that?  Preet Bharara did a great job putting just about everybody he could find in jail in Albany.  I think that is a good start and we have to keep working with the Southern District of New York to get the job done.    Let's use every tool we have.  But in the meantime let's make sure that the next attorney general demands primary jurisdiction, criminal jurisdiction for public corruption in New York...

We must  make sure that everyone is treated equally under law

Teachout:  You are going to see a corruption fighter, the likes of which you have never seen

Spectrum News:  VIDEO-interview (Aug 28, 2018) 
"Eliot Spitzer Weighs in on the Office of New York State Attorney General"

cf. August 31, 2018
"Two Ways of Watching the Same Debate"
State of Politics (Nick Reisman)

OTHER PRESS: 

August 28, 2018
"New York attorney general hit Cuomo on corruption"
Newsday (Michael Gormley)

August 28, 2018
"Dems bash Albany corruption in attorney general debate"
New York Post  (Nolan Hicks)

August 28, 2018
"New York attorney general candidates square off in debate --
The Democrats vowed to clean up Albany corruption and criticized the Trump administration"
Wall Street Journal  (Corinne Ramey)
"Ms. Underwood, the current attorney general, was appointed by the Legislature. She has said that, if asked,
she would return to her previous position as solicitor general.
During the debate, the four candidates all enthusiastically said they would keep her."

August 28, 2018
"Unanswered questions from the state attorney general debate"
City & State (Jeff Coltin)

August 29, 2018
"Attorney General candidates tag-team against Teachout in first televised debate"
Daily News (Jillian Jorgensen)

August 28, 2018
"Teachout bears brunt of attacks in AG debate"
Politico (Gloria Pazmino)

August 28, 2018
"Democratic AG Candidates Spare in Televised Debate"
US News.com  (AP)

August 29, 2018
"Opponents Target Teachout as Democratic Attorney General Candidates Debate Role and Resumes"
Gotham Gazette (Samar Khurshid)

August 31, 2018
Reporters' Roundtable --
Capital Tonight Staff-Spectrum News: Liz Benjamin, Nick Reisman
with Mike Gormley, Bill Mahoney

*    *    *

click here for:
The Posturing Liars
who are the Four Attorney General Candidates
for the Democratic Party Line

click here for:

The Race for Attorney General

OUTING CORRUPT & COLLUSIVE INCUMBENTS
& Ending their Road to Re-Election & Higher Office -- WITH EVIDENCE