Top New York Politician Arrested For Taking Bribes From A Law Firm

This morning, Silver told reporters, "I hope I’ll be vindicated." We'll see about that one.

Federal authorities arrested New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver this morning on bribery charges. If you’ve spent any time in New York, then you’re probably unfazed to hear that someone in Albany is getting pinched for corruption. It’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy that would put Mos Eisley spaceport to shame. But this isn’t some two-bit Assemblyman with a hand in the till. This is Shelly Silver, one of the three most powerful figures in New York politics. It’s not another corruption case, it’s a referendum on government ethics in New York.

By the way, remember the Moreland Commission? That’s the government ethics panel that Governor Cuomo set up to root out corruption in state government. It’s also the panel that Governor Cuomo unceremoniously shut down when it started poking around the ethics of Cuomo’s friends and allies. In a twisted way, Cuomo’s questionable decision to fire New York’s ethical watchdog actually helped spur today’s arrest. U.S. Attorney (and Not-Quite-Mindy-Kaling speaker) Preet Bharara watched the shuttering of the Moreland Commission and figured, “Um, I guess I’ll handle this stuff now?” Several months later, Bharara’s office has arrested the Speaker of the New York Assembly.

Silver is accused of taking payments over the course of several years from the law firm of Goldberg & Iryami. The firm specializes in securing reductions of New York real estate taxes. Now Silver makes a hefty chunk of change as a lawyer — reportedly around $650,000 — but he’s a personal injury lawyer for Weitz & Luxenberg, hardly an expert in real estate taxes. Add in the fact that Silver didn’t disclose the money he allegedly pocketed from Goldberg & Iryami and this is looking even less like an above-board lawyerly consultation.

This morning, Silver told reporters, “I hope I’ll be vindicated.” We’ll see about that one. On the other hand, the law professor ticket of Teachout and Wu primaried the Governor on the simple message that Cuomo sits atop an unethical hornet’s nest and does nothing. They’re looking pretty vindicated right now.

Sheldon Silver, Speaker of New York Assembly, Is Arrested in Corruption Case [New York Times]

Earlier: Mindy Kaling Reminds Harvard Law Grads That They’re Evil

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