Editorial: End this abuse of the law
Times Union Editorial Board
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For years, public officials have used or, more accurately, abused a provision in the state’s Freedom of Information Law to shield possible criminal wrongdoing in their administrations from public scrutiny.
The law excludes from public disclosure records “compiled for law enforcement purposes” and whose disclosure would interfere with an investigation or court case; deprive a person of a fair trial; or reveal confidential sources or information or criminal investigative techniques or procedures, other than routine ones.
Note that there’s nothing in those exemptions about protecting officials’ images or political careers.
Editorial: More secrecy, governor?
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THE ISSUE:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has at least four law firms working on his behalf but won’t reveal how they’re being paid.
THE STAKES:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has an ever-growing need for lawyers.
New evidence of that arrived Monday, when we learned state Attorney General Letitia James, acting on a referral from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, will be investigating the governor’s possibly criminal use of state employees for his coronavirus book the one he got a huge but still secret advance for.
In turn, Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, claimed Mr. DiNapoli and Ms. James, both Democrats, are considering running for governor and alleged the investigation was really about their wanting to “further political self-interest.”