In September of last year, it was discovered that Harvey Weinstein's lawyer, David Boies, gave $10,000 to NY District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr. mere months after Vance's office opted not to pursue Weinstein's sexual assault charges. Almost a year later, it seems like Boies is at it again, but this time with Governor Cuomo and a sum of $25,000.
On June 20th, state records reveal that the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner gave $25,000 to Cuomo's campaign.
@AlbertSamaha (Twitter)
Six days later, Andrew Cuomo suspended his investigation into why Vance's office did not prosecute Harvey Weinstein on his sex crime charges.
After the Cyrus Vance Jr. / Boies payment came to light, Governor Cuomo had stated that,
"it is critical not only that these cases are given the utmost attention but also that there is public confidence in the handling of these cases."
A spokesperson for Boies, Schiller & Flexner stated,
"Neither Mr. Boies, nor anyone from his firm, ever discussed Harvey Weinstein or Mr. Vance with Mr. Cuomo, or anyone from his office, at any time. Mr. Boies is a longtime supporter of Mr. Cuomo and his contribution in June
was consistent with his contributions to Mr. Cuomo over years past."
This statement sounds awfully similar to one made by Edwards Evans on behalf of the same law firm last year regarding the Vance case.
"David Boies has been a supporter of the District Attorney since long before 2015, including before he was first elected, and has never spoken to him about Harvey Weinstein."
Governor Cuomo's press secretary, Dani Lever stated,
"As we said when the Governor directed the Attorney General to investigate the Manhattan DA's Office, it should not interfere with the DA's ongoing criminal case. Given the recent indictment and prosecution of Harvey Weinstein by the district attorney, the attorney general's investigation has been postponed for six months."
As Capital & Main stated in their piece co-published by Sludge, "the suspension [of the investigation] effectively shields Boies from scrutiny of any potential relationship between his 2015 donation to Vance and Vance's decision not to prosecute Weinstein."
The $25,000 payout might seem like a small dollar amount considering the heinous nature of Weinstein's crimes, but Boies, Schiller & Flexner has given Governor Cuomo's campaigns more than $245,000 since 2009.
@bcolbyhamilton (Twitter)
Some feel that this information could bode well for his competition in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Others are simply astounded at how deeply fraud can pervade.
Could this discovery encourage the conversation about how donations influence politics?
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