Republicans: Did Broome Executive Get Cuomo Loyalty Call?
Published reports say a longtime adviser to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo leading the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been calling county executives to gauge their loyalty to the Democratic governor amid a sexual harassment investigation.
The Washington Post and The New York Times report that one Democratic county executive was so disturbed by the call from vaccine “czar” Larry Schwartz that the executive filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general’s office.
Broome County Republican Committee Chairman Bijoy Datta issued a statement questioning whether Broome County Executive Jason Garnar had been a recipient of one of the calls.
Datta says: “For all we know, Garnar could’ve been the anonymous county executive that was cited in the article,” “If Garnar’s arm was twisted like what was described in the Washington Post, it amounts to extortion and he should immediately disclose it publicly and refer the details to State Attorney General Letitia James for a full investigation,”
There has been no comment from Garnar who was placed in mandatory quarantine Sunday after being informed he had come into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Schwartz told the Post he did not discuss vaccines in the conversations. He said he "did nothing wrong,”