Few Wall Streeters are expected to show up for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s lavish birthday and fund-raising bash in two weeks – but it’s not because they weren’t invited.
Several Wall Street bigwigs received invites on Monday for the Dec. 2 gala just as Cuomo was issuing his latest thrashing against well-paid financial execs.
The invites, which are adorned with the scales of justice, ask that checks be made out to “Andrew Cuomo 2010,” the campaign committee he launched last year.
A copy of the invite was passed on to The Post by a senior executive at a top Wall Street firm who asked not to be identified. The executive said he was outraged by the request to support Cuomo’s political ambitions following his recent attacks on the industry.
Cuomo’s office declined to comment, and his campaign didn’t return a call for comment.
Yesterday, Cuomo wrote to AIG CEO Edward Liddy demanding that he disclose whether AIG intends to pay any bonuses in light of the $150 billion in rescue financing it’s received.
On Monday Cuomo, who turns 51 this year, homed in on Citigroup, saying its executives should forgo bonuses. Last month Cuomo’s office demanded nine financial firms provide information on their bonuses after they received government cash.
According to the state Board of Elections, “Andrew Cuomo 2010” was set up to sponsor an attorney general’s race, though the designation can be changed at any time to sponsor a different campaign, a spokesman with the Board of Elections confirmed.
There has been speculation that Cuomo is itching to try his hand at governor, fueled in part by the formation of “Andrew Cuomo 2010,” which superceded “Andrew Cuomo for Attorney General Inc.,” the more specifically named committee he launched for his run for the attorney general’s office in 2001.
The birthday bash is being held at Bridgewaters, a fancy catering facility in the South Street Seaport.
Invitees can pay $1,000 per person to attend the two-hour party as a “guest.” To attend the dinner, they have to fork over between $10,000 and $50,000, in which case they get tickets to the party as well as a limited number of dinner seats.