Longtime NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Surrenders to FBI

NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been an Albany fixture for 2+ decades. He was Speaker back when I was working in the legislature. And he's survived and thrived despite multiple scandals. But this is one scandal too far.

New York state assembly speaker surrenders to FBI http://t.co/pHWUMbR2jg

— TIME.com (@TIME) January 22, 2015

The Manhattan Democrat, who is the longest running Speaker in state history, is being charged with corruption over payments from one law firm (he is of counsel with another firm too).

I've been saying for years that the legislature should stop being a part time gig; they pay full time wages ($79,500, plus perks on position). Yet, they allow members to work elsewhere - like law firms, and can serve up conflicts of interest in no time. Eliminate the outside work, and you eliminate a major source of conflicts of interest.

Silver has stood against those reforms for years, in part because he benefited from the status quo arrangement. According to the NYT:

While it is legal for lawmakers to hold outside jobs, investigators said Mr. Silver failed to list the payments from the firm, Goldberg & Iryami, on his annual financial disclosure filings with the state.

In the past, Mr. Silver has been criticized for his outside law practice, a lucrative career that supplements the $121,000 he earns as speaker.

In 2013, Mr. Silver earned at least $650,000 in legal income, including work for the personal injury law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg, according to his most recent financial disclosure filing.

But what he does to earn that income has long been a mystery in Albany, and Mr. Silver has refused to provide details about his work.

He also managed to survive threats to his speakership when there were multiple sexual harassment/sexual assault cases that his office bungled/fumbled/buried. These include the Michael Boxley matter (who was one of his top staffers), investigations into whether other Assembly members engaged in sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct, including Micah Kellner, Vito Lopez, and secret settlements to silence the scandals. Silver admits that he shouldn't have used public money to fund the Lopez settlement.

The Assembly has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements over these and other sexual harassment cases involving members and staffers. That doesn't count the boatload of money spent on legal fees.

Silver's actions in those cases should have been grounds for his caucus to send him packing, but he used divide and conquer to split the caucus from picking a replacement.

But he couldn't outrun federal prosecutor Preet Bharara. He's managed to do more to roll up corruption in Albany than Gov. Cuomo's defanged Moreland Commission. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I suspect there's lots more to come.

Toe Painting 101 and Human Lollipops; Another NYS Legislative Scandal

So much for the Bear Mountain Compact (what happens in Albany, stays in Albany). It's been dead for several years now as a result of several high profile sex scandals and sexual assaults. This latest story just reiterates the mess in Albany.

Racy emails between a Buffalo Assemblyman and his then 19-year old intern have raised questions as to whether the Assemblyman, Sam Hoyt (D), engaged in an affair with the intern. He's thus far denied the allegation, but the emails have definitely raised eyebrows:

In a statement last night, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat and father of two, did not deny that the e-mails, posted on PoliticsNY.net, were his.

But he rejected the blog's contention that he had affairs with two legislative interns, relationships that would violate Assembly rules implemented in May 2004.

In a November 2003 e-mail to the then-19-year-old titled "What I wish..." Hoyt wrote of "painting your toenails right now" and hoping that "I could see you do that little cheerleader move."

He also wished that "I could be modeling my cool penguin boxers for you tonight," and that "I could tell you in person that no woman has ever done for me physically what you do for me."

In a June 2004 e-mail written after the anti-fraternization policy was in effect, Hoyt tried to set up a tryst, saying he chose being with her over going to Buffalo.

Things turned ugly days later when the woman wrote a scathing e-mail to Hoyt asking, "How many girlfriends do you have exactly??? I hate you. I knew you were lying but I was so stupid."

The legislature enacted an anti-fraternization policy because of improprieties in the Legislature, including the Speaker's adviser Michael Boxley, who was indicted on rape charges but pleaded to a lesser charge of sexual misconduct. That incident still hasn't closed entirely, as another of Boxley's victims is now running against Silver for his seat.