Kirsten Gillibrand joined fellow Senator Chuck Schumer in offering little support, and instead refusing to defend Governor Cuomo in the midst of his corruption scandal.
Hammond also seconds Cuomo's argument that he can't possibly interfere with his own commission, citing the precedent of pre-Depression-era Gov. Al Smith, who twice appointed himself the sole Moreland Commission member. But Smith did not deputize 34 commission members as deputy attorneys general with autonomous law enforcement power, which seems to render the comparison moot.
Last week, Senator Chuck Schumer provided similar non-answers when asked to defend Governor Cuomo.
In late July, the New York Times dropped the original bomb on the Cuomo administration, unearthing several sources who have corroborated stories that the Governor's office interfered with the Moreland Commission from the onset. Top aides were even cited as demanding members of the ethics panel "pull back" subpoenas issued to groups close to the Governor.
As the heat surrounding the scandal was growing, Cuomo's team tried to coordinate a defense of his office' actions, with one aide even offering to write statements for his colleagues. The actions led federal attorney Preet Bharara to send the Governor a letter threatening him with witness tampering and obstruction of justice charges.