Arrests and allegations in NY corruption sweep

Former state Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is at the top of a list of politicians arrested today in a federal probe of corruption in New York politics. The AP reported Smith’s 6:30 came at  this morning.

Our Albany correspondent, Karen DeWitt is chasing the story as it develops, and we’ll have her report in the morning.

This afternoon, The Albany Times Union reported US Attorney Preet Bharara detailed…

an elaborate chart detailing the alleged vectors of money and favors — with, he noted, “Malcolm in the middle” — quoted from many of these statements before calling the case yet another sign of “the public corruption crisis in New York.”

The TU’s Capitol Confidential bloggers have much more, including excerpts from the long complaint filed by Bharara. Here’s one,  Queens City Councilman Dan Halloran, speaking with an  FBI agent:

“That’s politics, that’s politics, it’s all about how much. Not about whether or will, it’s about how much, and that’s our politicians in New York, they’re all like that, all like that. And they get like that because of the drive that the money does for everything else. You can’t do anything without the f—ing money.”

And here’s the New York Times story: Lawmakers Charged in Plot to Buy Spot on Mayoral Ballot

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11 Comments on “Arrests and allegations in NY corruption sweep”

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  1. Makes you wonder about the “Independent Democratic Coalition” in the state senate.

  2. The Original Larry says:

    I’m shocked…..shocked to find corruption in NY state politics! At this point it’s almost comical. Almost.

  3. mervel says:

    Larry the important thing is we trust government and give them as much control over our lives as possible.

  4. mervel says:

    At least we can rest comfortable knowing that our elected officials in NYS are at least the same as corporate thieves and no worse.

  5. dave says:

    “At least we can rest comfortable knowing that our elected officials in NYS are at least the same as corporate thieves and no worse.”

    Difference being that these corrupt elected officials may actually lose their jobs and see the inside of a courtroom.

    I’m struggling to recall the last time I heard about the FBI engaging in a “sweep” of corporate criminals.

  6. Pete Klein says:

    Something missing from the story.
    What started the FBI investigation?
    Did someone tip them off? If so, who?

  7. Peter Hahn says:

    This is a truly bizarre story. A long time Democrat bribes the Republicans to let him run as a Republican for mayor of NYC. Why did anybody think this was a good idea? (other than the 40K)

  8. Two Cents says:

    “Did someone tip them off? If so, who?”

    bloomburgh. he wants another term.

  9. Mervel says:

    Corporations are no better and certainly no worse than government dave, the FBI is a part of the government if they are not prosecuting corporations than they are corrupt themselves.

    We have to get over this idea that government is good-business is bad. These kinds of sweeps certainly point out the fallacy of that sort of thinking.

  10. tootightmike says:

    Someone should take this investigation to the Village of Canton.

  11. Marlo Stanfield says:

    Peter Klein, it started as a rockland county DAs office investigation into spring valley. They called the FBI once they realized ow big it was.

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