Friday, September 13, 2013

State Senate must be scared of probe

From the Daily News:

In a shot across the bow of Gov. Cuomo's anti-corruption commission, the state Senate has hired the former U.S. attorney who brought down Eliot Spitzer to represent the chamber during the panel's investigation.

A Senate spokesman confirmed the hiring of Michael Garcia, who now works for the powerhouse firm of Kirkland & Ellis.

Garcia, currently chair of the state Bar Association's task force on government ethics, is said be considering a run for attorney general next year on the Republican line.

"This guy's really good," a source familiar with the hiring said. "He's got the right experience to handle these matters."
Garcia could not be reached immediately for comment.

His hiring comes after the Cuomo commission sent letters to lawmakers seeking information on their outside income, including the identity of law clients.

Lawmakers in both chambers, who had previously expressed fears the commission could turn into a political witch-hunt, have said they believe the body overstepped its bounds in seeking the information without evidence of any wrongdoing.

The Daily News recently reported that the Assembly hired Kasowtiz, Benson, Torres & Friedman to represent the chamber in its dealings with the commission.

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