Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to take down Republican gubernatorial nominee Marc Molinaro’s ad off the air Sunday for allegedly providing misleading information.
Molinaro released a 30-second advertisement, “Guilty,” that emphasized on corruption from Cuomo’s top adviser Joe Percoco and State University of New York Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros, the New York Daily News reported Sunday. The ad was recorded on Aug. 1.
“Andrew Cuomo’s top advisers are going to jail for stealing your tax dollars,” the narrator of the ad said. “And now he’s under investigation again for another pay-to-play scam.”
Cuomo filed a cease-and-desist letter to news stations for the ad referencing an investigation into health care organization Crystal Run for making questionable donations, which the campaign said does not involve the governor, according to the Daily News.
“It is false, cheap, and nasty — it is exactly what you would expect from Trump mini-me Marc Molinaro,” Cuomo spokesperson Abbey Collins said to The Daily Caller News Foundation. This statement was also made to the Daily News.
Molinaro’s campaign could not understand the reason for Cuomo’s letter.
“We do know currently there is investigation going on specifically regarding Crystal Run — and when publicly asked about it—Cuomo said he cannot comment on it which is ironic,” Molinaro campaign spokesperson Katy Delgado told TheDCNF. “He is fully aware he can’t have it both ways.”
Officials were investigating whether the New York health care agency improperly obtained funds after it received a $25 million grant from Cuomo, the Times Union reported. Crystal Run Healthcare donated $250,000 to his campaign in 2013 and executives and doctors, additionally, donated $400,000 collectively between 2011 and 2013. (RELATED: Feds Investigate Company That Got $25 Million After Donating To Cuomo)
Percoco was declared guilty for several counts of corruption in March, according to the Times Union on March 13. His sentencing was delayed four times for unspecified reasons and is scheduled for after the Democratic primaries on Sept. 13, according to syracuse.com.
Kaloyeros was convicted of bid rigging on state contracts related to Cuomo’s “Buffalo Billion,” an initiative intended to strengthen western and central New York economies, the Union reported on July 13. The state contracts were worth over $850 million.
Molinaro hopes to take the governor position while Cuomo is seeking a third term.
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