Cuomo returned 60 sketchy donations
Andrew Cuomo's mayoral campaign immediately flagged and refunded a tranche of apparent straw donations in March — and now there's a 'law enforcement investigation' related to his campaign, according to official documents.
On March 30, the Cuomo campaign reported receiving 57 separate donations from people with Chinese names who listed their occupation as 'unemployed.' Every donation came from the ZIP code 11354 in Flushing, Queens, and all the contributions came in multiples of 10, between $10 and $60.
The contributions were, to put it bluntly, extremely sketchy, and carried some hallmarks of straw donations — an illegal practice where campaign contributions are made in another person's name.
The campaign refunded every one of them the next day, plus three more similar contributions from people who listed their occupation as 'venerable' and shared the address of the Western Buddhist Association, a temple in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
In total, the campaign gave up just $1,280, though it could have garnered up to $10,240 more in public funds if the donations were matched.
One of the refunded contributions was from Chang Kuan of the Western Buddhist Association. Just three weeks after the campaign rejected the donation, Cuomo sent out a press release touting Kuan's endorsement with other faith leaders.
The association didn't respond to a request for comment.
It isn't clear whether those donations are under investigation. A letter from the New York City Campaign Finance Board in response to Playbook's routine Freedom of Information Law request for its communications with the Cuomo campaign suggested the existence of a probe, though.
'Some records are being withheld because they were 'compiled for law enforcement purposes and ... if disclosed, would ... interfere with law enforcement investigations....'' the letter read, quoting state law about what records are exempt from public disclosure.
Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said the campaign did the right thing, and quickly.
'It appears the correspondence being withheld relates to online contributions submitted to the campaign that were immediately flagged by our internal compliance as being improper, refunded within 24 hours, and disclosed to the CFB,' Azzopardi said in a statement. 'Subsequently, we had follow up communications with the CFB about those contributions. To the extent that there is a law enforcement review, we are neither aware of nor party to it and refer you back to CFB for any further questions.'
The CFB declined to comment. And the district attorneys offices for Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn all said they couldn't confirm or deny the existence of any related investigations.
The Cuomo campaign has received scrutiny for other practices unrelated to potential straw donors. The CFB withheld some public funds from the campaign while it investigated possible coordination with pro-Cuomo super PAC Fix the City. On May 30, the board said the investigation would continue. The campaign has denied wrongdoing.
The Cuomo campaign's quick action is first being reported here in Playbook just days after THE CITY reported on another instance of potential straw donors to Mayor Eric Adams' 2025 campaign. Adams has been dogged by such accusations, which featured in his federal indictment that was later dropped. He has denied knowingly taking any illegal contributions and defended his compliance team Thursday. 'We follow all rules,' he said. — Jeff Coltin
From the Capitol
UPROAR AT HOCHUL'S REDISTRICTING FLIRTATION: Republicans are up in arms about Gov. Kathy Hochul's comments Thursday suggesting she may move to redraw New York's congressional lines in response to Trump-led efforts to redraw the maps in GOP-dominated Texas.
'New York's State Constitution could not be more clear: mid-decade redistricting is illegal,' state GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement. 'Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats are again ignoring the law as they telegraph their latest attempt to rig our elections.'
On Thursday, Hochul told reporters she and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will consider redrawing New York's maps after President Donald Trump's allies successfully pressed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month to call for the state Legislature to hold a special session focused on redistricting.
'All's fair in love and war,' Hochul said during an unrelated event in Buffalo. 'We're following the rules. We do redistricting every 10 years. But if there's other states violating the rules and are trying to give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is, I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries.'
POLITICO reported Thursday that House Minority Leader Jeffries' team already spoke with Hochul's office about redistricting earlier this month, following the Texas governor's announcement.
Ed Ra, the ranking Republican member of the Assembly's Ways and Means committee, said in a statement that redrawing the maps 'would blatantly violate our State Constitution and undermine the work of the independent redistricting commission approved by New York voters.' — Jason Beeferman
SENATE BUDGET MAN DEPARTS: The state Senate Democrats' top budget aide is departing.
David Friedfel, who's served as the secretary to the Senate Finance Committee for the last five years, made the announcement on his LinkedIn page.
'After a wonderful five sessions serving as Secretary to the New York State Senate Finance Committee, I have decided it is time to take on a new role,' he wrote. 'I'm still trying to figure out what my next chapter will hold, so please reach out with any words of wisdom.'
Friedfel is highly respected among Democratic state lawmakers; he's expected to stay on and help with the transition for his replacement. — Nick Reisman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
'NOBODY CARES ABOUT EPSTEIN LIST': Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — a potential Republican gubernatorial candidate next year — said Thursday that no one cares about the so-called Jeffrey Epstein list.
'[Trump] is a guy who has gotten victory after victory after victory, and all they want to ask him is about these stupid Epstein lists,' Blakeman said. 'Nobody cares about the Epstein list except Democrats. Do your job. Do your job. Stop worrying about the Epstein list.'
Blakeman made the remarks during an interview with conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg on an issue that — at least momentarily — has divided the MAGA movement.
A Quinnipiac University national poll conducted earlier this month found 40 percent of Republicans approve of the Trump administration's handling of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files, while 36 percent disapprove and 24 percent did not offer an opinion.
Hochul and other Democrats have attempted to capitalize on the discord between Trump's MAGA base and the president over releasing information related to Epstein's child sex trafficking ring.
'While Bruce Blakeman broke his silence on the Epstein files, Elise Stefanik is too much of a coward and too busy enabling Trump's cover-up to come clean to New Yorkers about whether or not she wants the files to be released,' Addison Dick, the spokesperson for the Hochul-led state Democratic Party, said in a statement. 'As new revelations about Trump's close friendship with Epstein surface every day, Stefanik owes New Yorkers answers, not excuses.'
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, also running for governor, hasn't said much on the issue — but slammed a story from The Wall Street Journal that said Trump allegedly sent a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein wishing that every day should be 'another wonderful secret.' Trump says the letter is fake. POLITICO has not independently verified its existence.
Stefanik's spokesperson also slammed Democrats last week for 'desperately creating false narratives to distract from their own policy failures' and noted that the party had little focus on the issue until recently. — Jason Beeferman
ZOHRAN'S NEW CAMPAIGN SQUAD: Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani announced a slate of new hires today.
Maya Handa, who ran state Sen. Zellnor Myrie's campaign for mayor, is taking over as Mamdani's campaign manager. Afua Atta-Mensah, an organizer who helped lead left-leaning groups Community Change and Community Voices Heard, is joining the campaign to serve as its senior political director. And Debra Khan, who previously advised the president of the powerful service workers union 32BJ SEIU, will become the campaign's director of labor and intergovernmental affairs.
Despite Mamdani's proud democratic socialist brand, he has also hired a slate of new communications staffers whose backgrounds more reflect that of Jeffries and the Democratic establishment than the left-leaning groups who played key roles early on in his campaign. — Jason Beeferman
STOP HORSING AROUND: The leader of the horse carriage drivers union is threatening to sue mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa for claiming Transport Workers Union leadership is taking bribes.
'There is money under the table to the TWU leadership,' Sliwa said at an animal rights rally Wednesday at City Hall. 'I become mayor, the investigation begins. This industry will be closed. The men and women of the industry will have jobs with electrified carriages that exist in the rest of the world.'
TWU International President John Samuelsen shot back in a statement shared with Playbook: 'As pathetic as it is, he has the right to run for NYC Mayor, but that muppety character in a low-budget Batman movie doesn't have the right to slander the leadership of TWU Local 100, and we will be bringing an immediate action against him for defamation.'
Sliwa didn't immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Samuelsen's statement. — Jeff Coltin
IN OTHER NEWS
— SOCIALIST VS. INCUMBENT: The likely showdown between Mamdani and Adams shares stark similarities with Buffalo's 2021 mayoral race. (Gothamist)
— GENERATION M: Gen Z New Yorkers voted for Mamdani in the primary election by a wide margin — now they're trying to convince their parents. (The New York Times)
— SLIWA MEETS THE BIG BIZ LEADER: Sliwa left the red beret at home and met with Kathy Wylde, CEO of Partnership for New York City, to discuss his plans for the city. (New York Post)
Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
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