Is Gov. Cuomo engaged in a cover-up?
That seems to be the implication of a threat by US Attorney Preet Bharara.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reports, Bharara threatened to probe Cuomo & Co. for “possible obstruction of justice or witness tampering.”
The threat came after members of the now-defunct Moreland Commision were reportedly contacted by Cuomo’s staff — and then issued statements defending the governor from charges he’d tried to steer their corruption probes away from him and his friends.
Some of this contradicted earlier comments. For example, though co-chair William Fitzpatrick now says the governor honored the commission’s independence, the Times reported an e-mail in which he griped the governor’s office wasn’t treating the commission as independent.
The Times says Bharara demanded that, “to the extent anyone attempts to influence or tamper with a witness’s recollection of events relevant to our investigation,” his office should be notified immediately.
Such action, he added, might “constitute obstruction of justice or tampering with witnesses that violate federal law.”
We already knew Bharara was investigating the commission’s unfinished work and Cuomo’s decision to put the kibosh on it. But his newest warning makes clear his investigation will include any ongoing effort to hide evidence or influence testimony.
So far, Cuomo has pooh-poohed allegations of interference. But the latest news is that he and two of his top staffers have now hired criminal defense lawyers.
Apparently it’s not as easy to laugh off a US attorney.