New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is reportedly set to comply with a subpoena for documents about former Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s use of volunteers during the pandemic.
Hochul will have until Feb. 28 to comply with a subpoena from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which voted last month to order her to turn over a list of documents relating to Cuomo’s reliance on volunteers, a practice that critics argued raised ethics concerns about the so-called volunteers’ power to distribute resources.
“We are reviewing the subpoena and fully intend to comply,” a representative for Hochul told the New York Post.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, slammed the JCOPE’s subpoena order and the body’s “obsession” with the former governor.
NEW YORK ETHICS BODY SUBPOENAS HOCHUL OVER CUOMO’S COVID-19 VOLUNTEERS
“J-Joke is out of control and over their skis. Their obsession with us makes them look more and more craven and ridiculous every day,” he said.
JCOPE sent the subpoena request to Hochul on Feb. 7 after voting in favor of issuing the subpoena in January requesting a list of volunteers, information about arrangements with these volunteers, the employment status of the volunteers, and any other information about possible conflicts of interest. It said it is specifically interested in the COVID-19 volunteers the governor’s office oversaw from March 18, 2020, to April 29, 2021.
Azzopardi previously dismissed the JCOPE investigation in an email to the Washington Examiner, saying, “J-joke is gonna j-joke.”
In 2021, JCOPE opened an investigation into Larry Schwartz, a volunteer adviser who helped manage the vaccine distribution in the state. Last May, Schwartz allegedly called key local Democratic leaders to assess whether they would demand Cuomo’s resignation as the then-governor faced multiple scandals. This led to some concerns that Schwartz was distributing vaccines based on political factors, an allegation he and representatives for Cuomo denied.
JCOPE is also scrutinizing a lucrative book deal Cuomo made discussing his handling of the pandemic. Last November, the ethics agency voted to rescind its 2020 approval of Cuomo’s American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic, with the group determining that Cuomo did not fulfill his pledge not to use state resources to prepare the book. Cuomo acknowledged there may have been “incidental” uses of state resources in promoting the book but insisted his staffers volunteered their time.
Last December, the JCOPE said Cuomo should return the money he earned from the book, a move that was halted when unlikely ally New York Attorney General Letitia James told the group its decision to rescind the approval of his book was flawed. Cuomo’s lawyers have also threatened to fight attempts to make him turn over the book money.
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Cuomo, who has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, resigned on Aug. 24 of last year following a bombshell report from James stating he sexually harassed at least 11 women during his time in office.
Representatives for Hochul did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
