NEW YORK, NY – Governor Cuomo is throwing away his shot. Bad news continued to plague Cuomo this week, as his campaign committed innumerable unforced errors. First, the campaign made a failed, sloppy, sham attempt to show grassroots enthusiasm for the Governor. Then, in a Trumpian move, when a reporter pressed Cuomo about his campaign’s lies about their small dollar donations, the Governor referenced a lawsuit he had against the reporter’s outlet, in an apparent attempt to intimidate. Governor Cuomo’s staff later said he was joking.

The Governor also revealed that he’s only willing to go so far against the President. In addition to refusing to return Trump’s donations, Cuomo refused to call for Trump’s impeachment during a press call that the Governor convened for the express purpose of slamming President Trump. This week, Cuomo also continued to be criticized for his administration’s corruption, and his ‘free college plan’ was exposed to be as much as a sham as his grassroots support is.

New York Daily News Headline: Nixon calls for Trump impeachment; Cuomo puts it on GOP Congress
“Nixon’s support of impeachment came a day after Trump sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the U.S. intelligence community’s finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election…Nixon tweeted minutes after Cuomo demurred when asked on a conference call with reporters whether he believes Trump should be impeached or censured…But later in the call — after Nixon’s tweet posted — he returned to the subject without being asked. ‘I think (the Republicans in Congress are) going to have a real issue as to whether or not the President’s actions were treasonous and whether or not they’re going to pursue the President’s actions as possible treason, which has been suggested by Republican officials,’ Cuomo said.” [New York Daily News, 7/17/2018]

New York Post Headline: Cuomo campaign got names of scholarship students despite privacy laws
“Despite privacy laws, Gov. Cuomo’s campaign obtained the names of students who scored one of the state’s new Excelsior Scholarships and solicited them to appear in an ad promoting Cuomo’s re-election…One scholarship student contacted by the campaign was not thrilled to get the call.” [New York Post,7/17/18]

The New York Post Headline: Cuomo’s $10B economy ‘boost’ results in broken promises
“Since taking office in 2011. Cuomo has doled out more than $10 billion in public funding and tax breaks in the name of economic development — costly giveaways that have resulted in a series of broken promises and boondoggles.”[New York Post, 7/15/18]

Albany Times Union Headline: Nothing planned petty about this
“Mr. Cuomo was not charged, but his leadership certainly stands implicated in these crimes. This happened on his watch. The scandal involved not only aides and friends but campaign contributors.” [Albany Times Union, 7/15/18]

Poughkeepsie Journal Headline: A tone-deaf governor shrugs off scandals: Editorial
“Political scandals are all around Cuomo – yet he is doing nothing about them. He is essentially shrugging them off and suggesting nothing more can be done. Seriously? How about, for starters, surrounding yourself with more ethical people?” [Poughkeepsie Journal, 7/16/18]

The New York Times Headline: Who Needs Small Donors When You Have Friends? Ask Gov. Cuomo.
“He has offered a chance to win Billy Joel tickets. His daughters emailed supporters to ask for $5. And he has invested in a raft of digital ads and advertised an unlimited-drinks happy hour in Manhattan for only $5, though the format had to be scotched to avoid running afoul of state rules. But campaign disclosures on Tuesday revealed the extent to which Mr. Cuomo remains dependent on big donors — and some of the maneuvers undertaken to obscure that fact. One donor contributed 69 times to Mr. Cuomo in the final days before the deadline — 67 of them $1 donations, driving down his average donation size. The donor, Christopher Kim, shares the same address on his filing as one of Mr. Cuomo’s campaign aides, Julia Yang…But Mr. Kim was just one in a line of aides, relatives, roommates, allies, appointees and lobbyists sprinkled through Mr. Cuomo’s filing, giving tiny sums like $1 and $5.” [The New York Times, 7/17/18]

Politico: Cuomo’s dozen: His top donors and their 6-figure generosity
“No New York politician in recent years has been better at getting around the state campaign contribution limit of $65,100 than Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has received numerous six-figure and even seven-figure donations since he took office in 2011….All told, roughly 70 sources have given him more than $65,100 in his second term, thanks in large part to legal loopholes like one that essentially allows owners of limited liability companies to contribute as much as they wish.”

Fisher Brothers ($250,000)
On top of the money given to Cuomo, an LLC tied to Fisher Brothers gave Hochul $10,000 in May. The governor has also received $12,500 from partner Martin Edelman. The developer’s money was at the center of controversy five years ago, when Cuomo authorized a tax carve-out for one of the company’s properties weeks after its partners gave him $76,000. Those donations were being actively investigated by the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption before the governor shut it down.

Haugland Group ($162,405)
The civil engineering company was Cuomo’s biggest new donor in the first half of 2018. It is a major state contractor — the Department of Transportation and Office of General Services have awarded it contracts totaling $259 million since the governor’s first term began. Most recently, it was given $7 million in February to make improvements on a highway in Staten Island. On top of this, it also appears to perform work for the MTA, which is largely controlled by Cuomo.

Barry Rosenstein ($151,956)
A sizable share of the donations that hedge fund manager Rosenstein and his family have made to Cuomo came when he hosted an East Hampton fundraiser for the governor last summer, for which he loaned the governor the use of a helicopter. He has loaned the governor his aircraft on at least one other occasion. Six months ago, his private plane flew Cuomo and partner Sandra Lee to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.” [Politico, 7/19/18]

City and State: ‘Fraught with danger’: Why Cuomo might want to avoid a debate
“However, if Cuomo decides that debating Nixon is too risky, it could be worse for him than not debating her at all. He may decide to debate her at an awkward time to minimize risk, not in prime time and during the middle of the summer. Nixon said in her video that she had heard he would agree to a debate under those circumstances, and called for two debates, one upstate and one in New York City. If Cuomo refuses, it could that make him look afraid of Nixon.” [City and State, 7/19/18]

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