Allred Smashing Silver For NYP Hit Job on the Victims
Today’s article in the New York Post is a litany of false and outrageous statements. First, Speaker Silver and other unnamed political sources targeted the women who complained, by implying falsely that they sought only financial gain and did not want an investigation, and then by releasing their names and what appeared to be out of context and misleading confidential settlement communications to the press. Now, the Speaker and others seem desperately to be trying to target their attorneys. It is time for Mr. Silver to stop his attempts to deflect responsibility for his and the Assembly’s own misconduct and to take a good, hard look in the mirror at the actual events that really occurred.
What Did They Know and When Did They Know ItWatergatge Howard Baker
The Sexual Bully in Albany(NYT Ed) Every day also brings new questions about which officials knew about this behavior and what, if anything, they did to stop it. What justification did Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have for agreeing to give $103,000 in taxpayer money to settle a harassment claim? Did the comptroller and the attorney general approve both the payout and the decision to hide it from the public? * Officials Briefed on Lopez Settlement(WSJ) Silver consulted extensively with the state Attorney General’s and State Comptroller’s offices before drafting the settlement, according to emails obtained on Thursday * AP: Vito Lopez sex harassment accusers sought $1.2M(Newsday) * Top legal advisers to Tom DiNapoli and Eric Schneiderman were briefed on the settlement’s financial details.* The New York Times and the Daily News weighed in with their own questions. * New York Times wants Speaker Silver to call for Assemblyman Vito Lopez to resign.
Brooklyn D.A. Calls for Special Prosecutor for Vito Lopez(NYO) * Special prosecutor appointed in probe of Lopez grope case(NYP)
Cuomo in the Cat Bird Seat As His Political Rivals Caught Up in A Sexual Harassment Scandal
Some are wondering what
Governor Cuomo is doing behind the scenes during this controversy. *
According to the WSJ, the Comptroller and Attorney General thoroughly reviewed
the six figure settlement with alleged sexuaas harassment victims back
in May. * Top legal aides for both Eric Schneiderman and Tom DiNapoli were briefed on the details of Vito Lopez’s settlement..
The Times reported the secret settlement from the Assembly’s $12 million account for “miscellaneous contractual services,” which can cover all manner of expenses. That such a fund even exists is a measure of the cronyism and corruption that have coddled all manner of misbehavior — both political and personal — in Albany. &The Daily News wonders if Albany is ignoring a culture of sexual harassment.* How @FakeShellySilver handled the scandal.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office has issued a statement
saying that it merely provided Mr. Silver with the usual advice and the
model agreements used when complaints against the state are settled.
Officials there contend that they knew nothing about a confidentiality
clause. Mr. Silver’s people say that the attorney general’s office was brought
along virtually every step of the way, and the trail of newly released
e-mails appears to back that up. * Bill Hammond
@NYDNHammond Schneiderman: OAG gave Assembly a model pre-litigation settlement agreement w/o confidentiality clause. #gropez *Schneiderman Blasts Secret Payment(YNN)
DiNapoli Cauth in Scandal
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli sign off on a $103,000 check without
asking what it was for? Mr. DiNapoli’s aides said the check was paid out
automatically by computer when it was requested by the Assembly’s
computer. Assembly aides said they called the comptroller’s office to
make sure they were using the right codes and proper methods for this
unusual fee.
“It appears that the Assembly speaker, in an effort to divert attention from the Assembly’s conduct, is attempting to blame the women who brought claims against Mr. Lopez and then agreed to a settlement.” Gloria Allred
Complaints Against Lopez & Silver Go To Ethics Board * Several State Offices Toiled Over Vito Lopez Sexual Harassment Settlement(NY Mag) * Ethics commission must get to the bottom of Lopez scandal(NYDN) * Staten Island DA Dan Donovan (a Republican) has been assigned to handle the Lopez case.
The Police Are Not the Only Ones With A Blue Wall
Vito Lopez staffers initially demanded $1.2 million hush payout: sources(NYP) Women staffers who accused Lopez of sexually harassing them originally
sought $1.2 million in damages, before Silver negotiated a $103,000
settlement after Allred threatened to air details of the incidents
It's time for City Councilwoman Diana Reyna, the former chief of staff for Vito Lopez, to speak up about the disgraced assemblyman (NYDN) Reyna's friends say Lopez made her life 'a living hell.' Sources identify two women who received $103,000 secret payout in Lopez's sexual harassment scandal
Seddio Throws Lopez Under the Bus
Campaign 2012 New York City won’t meet a federal requirement to provide Bengali language ballots in Queens for this fall’s elections, which the Board of Elections blamed on a vendor, the Journal notes: * Lincoln Restler Continues Roll-Out of 2013 Contenders(NYO)
The Making of A President 2012
GOP Rates Its Future Contenders(WSJ) * Cardinal Dolan Closes RNC With Prayer(NY1) * No silver tongue, but Mitt Romney gets job done: (Politico) * Republican Convention Projects Diversity in Race and Class(NYT) * Jon Stewart Blasts ‘Truth-Teller’ Paul Ryan For Inaccuracies In VP Acceptance Speech
Dirty Harry' actor Clint Eastwood delivers unscripted RNC speech(NYP) * Clint Eastwood and the Empty Chair(NYT) * Dirty Harry Makes Surprise Appearance(WSJ) * Clint Eastwood Gives ‘Invisible Obama’ The Best Lines Of His Performance Art Speech* Watch Mitt Romney’s speech. * President Obama’s Twitter account made an Eastwood reference. * Romney Appeals to Disillusioned Voters - Whitesides & Holland, Reuters * It's a Battle for America's Heartland - Michael Walsh, New York Post * Romney Shakes the Etch a Sketch - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post *
The Truth About ObamaCare - Jay Cost, Weekly Standard *
Ryan & the GOP Medicare Killers - Paul Krugman, New York Times *Romney Leads Unified GOP Into Battle - Richard Wolf, USA Today
Marketing Romney: The Problem Is the Product - Gary Younge, Guardian * A Deeply Personal Speech - Charles Krauthammer, FOX News * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason * Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason * Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason *Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * Few on Team Romney want to take responsibility for the Clint Eastwood speech. *Romney arrives in Louisiana for storm visit(NYP) * Karl Rove on Todd Akin, “We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”
The Truth About ObamaCare - Jay Cost, Weekly Standard *
Ryan & the GOP Medicare Killers - Paul Krugman, New York Times *Romney Leads Unified GOP Into Battle - Richard Wolf, USA Today
Marketing Romney: The Problem Is the Product - Gary Younge, Guardian * A Deeply Personal Speech - Charles Krauthammer, FOX News * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason * Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason * Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * The GOP's Steady Diet of Whoppers - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post * The Trouble With Fact-Challenged Fact Checkers - Shikha Dalmia, Reason *Greed & Debt: True Story of Romney & Bain - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone * Few on Team Romney want to take responsibility for the Clint Eastwood speech. *Romney arrives in Louisiana for storm visit(NYP) * Karl Rove on Todd Akin, “We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”
Education
State ID's 123 city public schools for closure or overhaul within three years(NYP) * City Schools at High Risk of Shutdown(WSJ)The state Department of Education named 221 poorly performing public
schools, 123 of which are in New York City, that must take drastic
measures in the next three years or risk closure * School for troubled teens moves into Stella Maris site(NYDN)
Aqueduct racino’s hiring practices reveal less than even odds of hiring local for upper-management (NYDN)
Employment patterns vary depending on job tier; out of towners given sizeable chunk of high-ranking management jobs
More Shootings
Mother dead, three others wounded in Flatbush shooting(NYP) * Woman Dies in Brooklyn Shooting(NYT) * Gang shot 14 rivals to avenge member's murder(NYDN) * Woman critical, 3 others wounded in Brooklyn street sho(NYDN)
MTA ups effort to rid subways of waste baskets(NYP) * Trash Test Expands in Subway(WSJ) * MTA Kicking More Trash Cans At Subway Stations(NY1) * MTA's cans trash bins at stations(NYDN) * MTA, TWU sidetracked(NYP) Majority of New Jobs Pay Low Wages, Study Finds(NYT)
Union Head Argues Against One-Operator Subway Trains (WSJ)
State Park Attendance Up 5.6 Percent From Last Year, Officials Say(NY1)
Kelly on Stop and Frisk
