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Tag: new york attorney general
Gov. Cuomo Apologizes And Vows To Cooperate With Harassment Probe

Gov. Cuomo Apologizes And Vows To Cooperate With Harassment Probe

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

In his first public appearance after three women stepped forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, harassment, or inappropriate behavior, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo apologized but said he is not going to resign at this time.

"I'm sorry," Cuomo said after his coronavirus briefing, the first in several days. He said he had no idea he was making anyone feel uncomfortable. He repeatedly said he is "embarrassed."


Asked if he should step aside, Cuomo told reporters: "I'm going to cooperate with the Attorney General investigation."

"I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never knew, at the time, that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable," Cuomo added, again repeatedly apologizing.

Some are pointing to this photo as evidence his "usual custom," was inappropriate.

Fox News notes "nearly 30 Democratic and Republican New York lawmakers have stated that Cuomo should either resign or face impeachment."

One of the three women says the harassment occurred at a 2019 wedding reception. Anna Ruch says Cuomo asked if he could kiss her after touching her inappropriately.

"Mr. Cuomo put his hand on Ms. Ruch's bare lower back, she said in an interview on Monday," The New York Times reported.

"When she removed his hand with her own, Ms. Ruch recalled, the governor remarked that she seemed 'aggressive' and placed his hands on her cheeks. He asked if he could kiss her, loudly enough for a friend standing nearby to hear. Ms. Ruch was bewildered by the entreaty, she said, and pulled away as the governor drew closer."

"I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed," said Ms. Ruch, whose recollection was corroborated by the friend, contemporaneous text messages and photographs from the event. "I turned my head away and didn't have words in that moment."
Eric Trump

Judge Rules Eric Trump Must Testify In Tax Fraud Case

Judge Arthur Engoron of the Manhattan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Eric Trump must testify in the New York Attorney General's investigation of potential civil fraud by the Trump Organization — before the presidential election.

Last week, the younger Trump agreed to be deposed in the case, which seeks to determine whether the Trump Organization inflated or skewed its assets for tax reasons, or to obtain business loans. But his lawyers argued that the deposition should be delayed until after the election Nov. 3, citing his "extreme travel schedule" on the campaign trail and a desire to "to avoid the use of his deposition attendance for political purposes."

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New York AG Orders Right-Winger To Desist From COVID-19 Cure Fraud

New York AG Orders Right-Winger To Desist From COVID-19 Cure Fraud

Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters

The New York State Office of the Attorney General has told Newsmax TV host Wayne Allyn Root “to immediately cease and desist from making misleading claims” after the right-wing host touted alkaline silver as an important product for people who are concerned about coronavirus. 

Root is the host of The Wayne Allyn Root Show on Newsmax TV, a cable news network that “reaches over 70 million cable/satellite homes and subscribers.” The network has positioned itself as an aggressively pro-Trump voice and recently began airing a program featuring former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former Republican National Committee deputy communications director Lyndsay Keith. Its CEO is Christopher Ruddy, a Trump friend and adviser. 

As Media Matters first reported, Root used his March 11 program to downplay concerns about the coronavirus. He then addressed people who were concerned about the virus by directing them to watch an ad touting a suspect silver product. Root stated: “‘My Doctor Suggests’ message is next. You fear coronavirus, here’s a very important message now.” Newsmax then aired an ad for MyDoctorSuggests.com featuring Gordon Pedersen, who claims to have an “all-natural solution” that “destroys” things like “viruses.” (The advertisement also touted a promo code specific to Root.)

Pedersen is a quack doctor who has claimed that his alkaline structured silver can supposedly be used against 83 ailments. He has also claimed that his silver product will “protect” against the coronavirus and make it “leave your body. You just never get the sickness.”

Root also endorsed My Doctor Suggests and alkaline structured silver on Twitter by claiming that it “kills [the] virus” and stating that the product “just might save your life.” Those posts, which are still online, do not include any disclaimer that he has a financial relationship with the company. 

Lisa Landau, the chief of the health care bureau in the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, sent a March 19 letter to Root via Newsmax Media explaining that the office “is extremely concerned by your statements during the March 11, 2020” edition of his show regarding coronavirus and My Doctor Suggests, writing, in part: 

As the program closed, you stated, “My Doctor Suggests’ message is next. You fear coronavirus, here’s a very important message now.” Then, an advertisement by My Doctor Suggests, LLC for alkaline structured silver aired, and viewers were offered a discount when using the promotional code “root.”

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) poses serious consequences to public health, and consumers are concerned as to how they can best protect themselves and their families. Your representations may mislead consumers as to the effectiveness of the above-named product in protecting against the current outbreak. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and the World Health Organization (“WHO”) have stated that there is no specific medicine to prevent or treat this disease. Therefore, any misrepresentation that the above-named product is effective at combatting and/or treating COVID-19 violates New York law.

Landau added that Root is “hereby advised to immediately cease and desist from making misleading claims as they violate New York’s consumer protection statutes … which prohibit fraudulent and deceptive business practices and false advertising.” 

Media Matters has contacted Newsmax for comment and will update this post if they respond. 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently ended its relationship with Root as a columnist and cited his silver promotions as a factor. Las Vegas Review-Journal publisher, CEO, and editor Keith Moyer told Media Matters that “Mr. Root’s advertising, marketing and other media interests had begun to broadly diverge from the journalistic standards and intentions of the Review-Journal. That compelled us to end our relationship with him. We wish him well.” 

The New York Attorney General’s office previously sent a letter to Alex Jones after he claimed that his toothpaste could kill coronavirus. 

Newsmax also sent an email telling its older-leaning audience that “the worst thing” they could do regarding the coronavirus outbreak is to “get a vaccine when it becomes available” because vaccines are supposedly “a scam.” (Newsmax later distanced itself from that email.) It additionally sent marketing emails claiming that if you give it money for a book written nearly a decade ago, you can find “3 powerful secrets to never getting sick again,” including ways to ward off “coronavirus and cancer.”

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently called on Newsmax to stop pushing a false advertisement from gold company Monetary Gold which falsely claims that federal law allows banks to seize people’s accounts and “use those funds when necessary to keep itself, the bank, afloat.” (Townhall also sent that advertisement.) 

EDITOR’S NOTE: National Memo editor-in-chief Joe Conason appears regularly on Newsmax TV, as do many credible commentators.

Trump Complains: ‘I’ve Been Attacked For Giving $19M To Charity’

Trump Complains: ‘I’ve Been Attacked For Giving $19M To Charity’

Donald Trump released a statement on Thursday, after agreeing to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit against his now-defunct namesake foundation, complaining that he had been “attacked by political hacks” for donating $19 million to charity.

“I am the only person I know, perhaps the only person in history,” he claimed, “who can give major money to charity ($19M), charge no expense, and be attacked by political hacks in New York State. No wonder why we are all leaving!”

Trump recently declared himself a resident of Florida, after decades as a New Yorker. According to the New York Times, a source close to Trump said the change was for tax purposes.

The president added on Thursday that “every penny of the $19 million raised by the Trump Foundation went to hundreds of great charitable causes” and that contrary to the claims of the New York attorney general’s office, his foundation was only guilty of “some small technical violations, such as not keeping board minutes.”

He was ordered this week to pay out $2 million to several charitable groups after he admitted to misusing money raised by his foundation.

Like more than 13,000 of the other false or misleading claims Trump has made since taking office, his argument this week that he himself paid $19 million to charity is dubious at best.

According to a Pulitzer-winning Washington Post analysis, just $5.5 million of the money raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation actually came from Trump (though a spokesperson claimed Thursday that “more than $9 million came directly from” Trump). He stopped donating to the foundation completely in 2008 and instead relied on millions in donations from other rich people — including his first Small Business Administrator, Linda McMahon.

While some of the foundation’s money did go to worthwhile causes, Trump also used it as a his personal piggy bank to fund things like a $264,631 renovation for a fountain outside one of his hotels, legal settlements for his for-profit companies, a portrait of himself, and a $7 payment to the Boy Scouts of America (which was the cost of membership at the time). He often used the foundation to make charitable donations he claimed were coming out of his personal funds.

In 2016, the foundation admitted to the Internal Revenue Service that it had engaged in illegal “self-dealing.” The same year, his legal team claimed an “unfortunate series of coincidences” lead to an illegal and undisclosed $25,000 political donation in support of then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R).

The foundation gave much of its money for political purposes, including two $10,000 donations to Project Veritas, James O’Keefe’s tax-exempt conservative group known for producing misleading “sting” videos, often with a pro-Trump message. It ceased operations in December 2016 after the New York attorney general filed suit alleging improper dealings.

Contrary to Trump’s claims of minor technical violations, a judge found he illegally used his foundation to further his 2016 political campaign — a huge no-no for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organizations — and pay business debts. As part of the settlement, Trump admitted to these violations of the law.

A 1999 examination by The Smoking Gun called Trump “The .00013% Man” based on the Trump Foundation’s “paltry” charitable giving. A 2011 follow-up found that contrary to Trump’s claims of being an “ardent philanthropist,” from 1990 to 2009, Trump donated just $3.7 million to his foundation compared to the “seven billion” he claimed to have in his bank account, making him perhaps “the least charitable billionaire in the United States.”

Published with permission of The American Independent.

IMAGE: Donald Trump addresses the media regarding donations to veterans foundations at Trump Tower, May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson