Gov. Kathy Hochul repeats ugly Cuomo-esque history with dark moneyBy NY Post Editorial Board
February 13, 2022
For all her vows of a “new era of transparency,” Gov. Kathy Hochul’s dark-money shenanigans are positively Cuomo-esque.
A refresher: Running for gov in 2010, Andrew Cuomo promised to end a New York legal loophole that lets dark money — unregulated, anonymous donations — pour into campaigns via limited-liability corporations (or LLCs) by setting a sky-high cap on giving such donations, letting their owners stay anonymous and not counting those donations toward the limit on personal contributions from the owners.
He didn’t end it, instead becoming one of the loophole’s biggest beneficiaries and taking in at least $6.2 million via LLCs from 2010 to 2014.
And now Hochul’s campaign has hoovered up a record $22 million (another Cuomo-esque figure) so far, with some 170 donations in 2021 coming from LLCs, according to reporting from New York Focus.
One new wrinkle: a 2019 law saying any LLC cash must now be attributed to its owners. So, if John Smith owns half of Amalgamated Realty LLC, and Amalgamated gives $1,000 to Hochul’s campaign, it counts as a $500 contribution from Smith.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2022/02/13/gov-kathy-hochul-repeats-ugly-cuomo-esque-history-with-dark-money/
