Breaking the back of Albany corruption.
As farmer assembly Speaker Sheldon silver goes to trial again on corruption charges the public would do well to take note of the proceeding and judge for themselves weather the low is up to reining in the political corruption for which albany is justly renouned. It doesn’t look good.
Silver was convicted in 2016 for action’s that anyone blessed with common sense would understand as corrupt. But the conviction was overturned. A federal appeals court said the law didn’t see a crime in silver obtaining nearly,$ million in payments for actions that benefited others.
Former Senate majority leader Dean skelos was nailed for different federal crimes only weeks later and also had his conviction overturned. A jury found skelos guilty of bribery and extortion among others crimes, for demanding that businesses relying on state funding pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to his son, Adam for work he didn’t do. That’s not a crime. The undoing of these convictions traced back to a ruling by the U.S supreme court over turning the conviction of farmer Virginia Gov.Robert T. Mc donnell in 2015 evidence showed that MC Donnell and his wife accepted more than $187,000 worth of loans and gifts from a businessman seeking the states help in promoting a dietary supplement. It wasn’t enough.
But because there was no official act such as voting for a bill or signing an order, the conviction was thrown out.
Its not just federal law, new York state statutes are weak enough that attorney General Eric T Schneiderman has had trouble securing conviction for conduct that ought to be illegal and also writes the law. The politicians who benefits from their weaknesses.
Silver re trial began Tuesday skelos too is expected to be tried again prosecutors will have a more difficult time, given the restrictions of the supreme court ruling, but here’s the fundamental point. The evidence of what these men did hasn’t changed no court challenged what the men did which was unconsciousable and surely ought to be illegal the only question was whether the conduct included the kind of ” official act” in the supreme court’s tolerant opinion.Two conclusions flow from these issues are, one is legislators in Albany and Washington need to review their laws to ensure that corruption is actually illegal and can’t be sanitized by loopholes that invite self dealing.
That’s been endemic in new york, Where the pernicious influence of tammany hall clings like a virus. Corruption runs through this state’s veins and it is abvious that the only solution is to apply enough prosecutorial pressure that law makers see no recourse but to clean of their act.
Silver was convicted in 2016 for action’s that anyone blessed with common sense would understand as corrupt. But the conviction was overturned. A federal appeals court said the law didn’t see a crime in silver obtaining nearly,$ million in payments for actions that benefited others.
Former Senate majority leader Dean skelos was nailed for different federal crimes only weeks later and also had his conviction overturned. A jury found skelos guilty of bribery and extortion among others crimes, for demanding that businesses relying on state funding pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to his son, Adam for work he didn’t do. That’s not a crime. The undoing of these convictions traced back to a ruling by the U.S supreme court over turning the conviction of farmer Virginia Gov.Robert T. Mc donnell in 2015 evidence showed that MC Donnell and his wife accepted more than $187,000 worth of loans and gifts from a businessman seeking the states help in promoting a dietary supplement. It wasn’t enough.
But because there was no official act such as voting for a bill or signing an order, the conviction was thrown out.
Its not just federal law, new York state statutes are weak enough that attorney General Eric T Schneiderman has had trouble securing conviction for conduct that ought to be illegal and also writes the law. The politicians who benefits from their weaknesses.
Silver re trial began Tuesday skelos too is expected to be tried again prosecutors will have a more difficult time, given the restrictions of the supreme court ruling, but here’s the fundamental point. The evidence of what these men did hasn’t changed no court challenged what the men did which was unconsciousable and surely ought to be illegal the only question was whether the conduct included the kind of ” official act” in the supreme court’s tolerant opinion.Two conclusions flow from these issues are, one is legislators in Albany and Washington need to review their laws to ensure that corruption is actually illegal and can’t be sanitized by loopholes that invite self dealing.
That’s been endemic in new york, Where the pernicious influence of tammany hall clings like a virus. Corruption runs through this state’s veins and it is abvious that the only solution is to apply enough prosecutorial pressure that law makers see no recourse but to clean of their act.
The second thing is in new Yorkers need leader’s like Schneiderman and former U.S Attorney Preet bharara whose office originally prosecuted silver and skelos To continue their work. There is no substitute for their vigilance and determination to break the back of chronic and routine public corruption.
Law officers such as these have shown themselves to be crucial in the effort to rid new York of the criminality that pervades its government they need to continue their work until Albany decides that honesty is batter policy..
Reported by,
Keerthana . JR, Nalini, keerthana.M
