ALBANY – The head of the state Lobbying Commission has accused Andrew Cuomo of lying to protect himself from charges that he ratted out hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
Agency Executive Director David Grandeau’s attack came after Cuomo blasted the commission on Tuesday and denied he was cooperating with its investigation into Simmons.
But Grandeau said documents Cuomo supplied to the commission showed that the former gubernatorial candidate and his people worked with Simmons on a lobbying campaign to repeal the tough Rockefeller-era drug laws.
“Obviously, he’s upset that the some people perceive him as some sort of rat, but it is what it is,” Grandeau said. “I think he’s cooperating.”
Cuomo accused Grandeau of being out of control in his investigation.
Cuomo, the son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, has filed an affidavit in federal court accusing Grandeau of being biased and misleading the public through an “unprecedented use or misuse of the press.”
“The effect of the commission’s baseless investigation . . . is to chill our cherished right to free speech and to petition our government,” Cuomo said in the affidavit.
The Lobbying Commission is seeking to determine if Simmons, Cuomo and other opponents of the Rockefeller era drug laws violated state lobbying laws by failing to disclose how much they spent on their ongoing efforts.
Simmons is challenging that effort in federal court, claiming it is an unconstitutional impingement on his right to free speech.
A hearing on the case is scheduled for this morning in federal court in Manhattan.
Simmons is seeking a temporary restraining order against the commission’s investigation.
Simmons’ lawyer, James Featherstonehaugh, said the rapper’s camp today will ask a judge to enforce an earlier consent order that suspended the investigation until the court makes a final decision on the case.
The commission, he said, continues to investigate in a high-profile way “in what we believe is a violation of the consent order.”
While the commission initially agreed to suspend its investigation, it later withdrew that consent.