NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was indicted Thursday on three charges after his arrest last month in a federal bribery case.
The indictment was returned in Manhattan federal court, where he appeared last month briefly when he was freed on bail just a day after sharing the stage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State address. The charges are honest services mail fraud, honest services wire fraud and extortion under the color of his official duties.
"Our client is not guilty. We can now begin to fight for his total vindication. We intend to do that fighting where it should be done — in court," Silver's lawyers, Joel Cohen and Steve Molo, said in a statement. Silver has said he is confident he will be vindicated.
Silver's arrest came after he had led the Assembly for over 20 years, becoming one of the most powerful and savvy figures in New York state politics.
But prosecutors said there was a dark side to his reputation as a potent backroom operator who played a major role in state budgets and laws, controlling which lawmakers sat on which committees and what bills got a vote.
The government said he had collected nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks since 2002 and disguised the proceeds as legitimate income.
The Democrat has since resigned as speaker but has said he intends to keep his Assembly seat.
Silver's arrest rocked the state Capitol, even though state lawmakers' arrests have become ruefully common. Some 28 New York legislators have stepped down because of criminal or ethical issues in the past 15 years. Four others remain in office while they fight charges, including Silver.
A day after announcing Silver's January arrest, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara told a breakfast meeting at a law school that it sometimes seems as if Albany had become a "cauldron of corruption."
He was particularly critical of what he called a "three-men-in-a-room" system of government that put too much control in the hands of the state's governor, Assembly speaker and Senate president.
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Notice how they finally call out his political affiliation in a small paragraph, near the bottom?
Lets see how the AP calls out the political affiliation of Republicans when they do something wrong:
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NORTH CAROLINA (AP) — A North Carolina Republican got more than he bargained for when he sat down with The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi.
Don Yelton, a Republican precinct chairman in North Carolina, resigned Thursday after making racially charged remarks on the Comedy Central show while defending his state's voter ID law.
(Wow, right there in the opening paragraph and headline)
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GOP Law Maker Charged With Sexual Assault
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged former Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer on Friday with sexually assaulting a political aide three ...
(They didn't even wait for the first paragraph, they put it right in the headline)
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Florida Republican Rep. Radel charged with cocaine possession in DC
WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) — Republican Florida Rep. Trey Radel has been charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession in D.C., court records reveal.
(Had to throw it in the headline and opening paragraph)
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Heh, and the media isn't biased.... Pshhhhhh
The indictment was returned in Manhattan federal court, where he appeared last month briefly when he was freed on bail just a day after sharing the stage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State address. The charges are honest services mail fraud, honest services wire fraud and extortion under the color of his official duties.
"Our client is not guilty. We can now begin to fight for his total vindication. We intend to do that fighting where it should be done — in court," Silver's lawyers, Joel Cohen and Steve Molo, said in a statement. Silver has said he is confident he will be vindicated.
Silver's arrest came after he had led the Assembly for over 20 years, becoming one of the most powerful and savvy figures in New York state politics.
But prosecutors said there was a dark side to his reputation as a potent backroom operator who played a major role in state budgets and laws, controlling which lawmakers sat on which committees and what bills got a vote.
The government said he had collected nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks since 2002 and disguised the proceeds as legitimate income.
The Democrat has since resigned as speaker but has said he intends to keep his Assembly seat.
Silver's arrest rocked the state Capitol, even though state lawmakers' arrests have become ruefully common. Some 28 New York legislators have stepped down because of criminal or ethical issues in the past 15 years. Four others remain in office while they fight charges, including Silver.
A day after announcing Silver's January arrest, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara told a breakfast meeting at a law school that it sometimes seems as if Albany had become a "cauldron of corruption."
He was particularly critical of what he called a "three-men-in-a-room" system of government that put too much control in the hands of the state's governor, Assembly speaker and Senate president.
_______________________________________________________________________
Notice how they finally call out his political affiliation in a small paragraph, near the bottom?
Lets see how the AP calls out the political affiliation of Republicans when they do something wrong:
_______________________________________________________________________
NORTH CAROLINA (AP) — A North Carolina Republican got more than he bargained for when he sat down with The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi.
Don Yelton, a Republican precinct chairman in North Carolina, resigned Thursday after making racially charged remarks on the Comedy Central show while defending his state's voter ID law.
(Wow, right there in the opening paragraph and headline)
_______________________________________________________________________
GOP Law Maker Charged With Sexual Assault
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged former Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Bill Kramer on Friday with sexually assaulting a political aide three ...
(They didn't even wait for the first paragraph, they put it right in the headline)
_______________________________________________________________________
Florida Republican Rep. Radel charged with cocaine possession in DC
WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) — Republican Florida Rep. Trey Radel has been charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession in D.C., court records reveal.
(Had to throw it in the headline and opening paragraph)
_______________________________________________________________________
Heh, and the media isn't biased.... Pshhhhhh
