Groups ask BOE to investigate if Cuomo illegally paid former aide through campaign funds
ALBANY (WRGB) — The New York Public Interest Research Group and three other good governments groups sent a letter to the New York State Board of Elections, after Politico reported that former governor Andrew Cuomo used campaign funds to pay former aide Rich Azzopardi to stay on as his spokesman after he left office.
Azzopardi previously served as Cuomo’s communications director and senior advisor while he was in office. The groups want the BOE to investigate whether this is a personal use of campaign funds, which is illegal.
“Azzopardi is working for an individual right now someone who is not in any political office does not hold a party position is not campaigning and has said he will not be running for office, so why use campaign contributions for a press person for a private individual,” Horner said.
NYPIRG executive director Blair Horner says this may be the most egregious use of campaign funds that he’s ever seen, since Andrew Cuomo has 18 million in the old campaign account.
“It’s just a huge amount of money that we’re talking about and if a press person is allowed to be hired with campaign contributions to a private individual who’s not running for office. Why not a Chauffeur? Why not a masseuse? There’s all sorts of things we’re talking about where is the line drawn?” Horner said.
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We asked election attorney Jerry Goldfeder if this expense is legal. State law says that campaign funds can’t be used for paying a salary to someone unless their services are for CAMPAIGN purposes or connected to the duties of public office or a party position. Goldfeder feels this meets that definition.
“Unless he’s using it for just personal purposes campaign funds can be used for general political purposes. That’s what the law allows,” Goldfeder said.
Horner says it’s a bad look regardless of how the BOE weighs in on this.
“If it’s illegal then we’ve done the right thing clamp down on it that will be that. But if it’s legal it underscores the terrible nature of New York’s campaign finance system,” Horner said.
CBS 6 reached out to the BOE, but didn’t get a response. After our report aired, CBS 6 received a response from Rich Azzopardi, saying,
"I'm on board to help answer press inquiries related to the Governor's time in office and ongoing legal reviews, which is permissible."
Horner says that legislation is the best way to remedy this. This would not be the first time former governor Cuomo has been criticized for use of campaign funds. Back in June while he was still governor, he spent nearly 300,000 dollars of this money on legal fees.
It is unclear at this point how much was spent out of the campaign account. Campaigns must report every expense from a war chest to the BOE. But their disclosure forms are only posted in January and July.
