The good news for Gov. Cuomo is that US Attorney Preet Bharara’s latest wave of subpoenas doesn’t target him. The bad news is that it does center on one of his closest friends, another former aide — and the governor’s pet project, the “Buffalo Billion.”
Joe Percoco has been Cuomo’s top aide and close friend since the ’90s, although he left government in January. But now he faces allegations that he illegally pocketed tens of thousands (up to $150,000 in some reports) from contractors doing business with the state.
If Percoco indeed proves to have betrayed the governor’s trust, it will be a huge personal blow. But it’s the tainting of the Buffalo Billion that could hit hardest: The project is practically the only good thing the governor’s done for an upstate economy that he’s otherwise slammed repeatedly — with his fracking ban, his minimum-wage hikes and other moves aimed at winning the love of left-wing Democrats.
Also subpoenaed was Alain Kaloyeros, the CEO of SUNY’s Polytechnic Institute, who’s been central to a project that’s gotten millions in state funding. If he’s found to have crossed legal lines, the entire multibillion-dollar public-private nanotech initiative could go off the rails.
The governor plans to bring in Bart Schwartz, who served as Criminal Division chief under US Attorney Rudy Giuliani, to vet the whole Buffalo Billion.
These troubles for Cuomo come after a week of embarrassment for Mayor de Blasio, with several of his key people subpoenaed by the US attorney. If there’s any silver lining in any of this, it’s that the governor and mayor may have to call off their feud while each turns to deal with Bharara.