U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara escalated his criticism of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to shutter the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, which had only just begun. “It was disbanded before its time,” he said on WNYC's "Brian Lehrer Show." “Nine months may be the proper and natural gestational period for a child, but in our experience it is not the amount of time necessary for a public corruption prosecution to mature.” Bharara's office had a truck pick up documents from the commission yesterday, files full of "unseemly" information on elected officials. Bharara went on to stress the importance of independence in an investigative body, and said if there was interference into the commission's probes, it should be taken very seriously. Cuomo defended his actions, saying the commission was never meant to be a permanent body and that it produced tangible positive results. It was created after a rash of arrests of state lawmakers, brought on by Bharara's office.
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Ben Max examines the mayor's speech on "the future of New York City," noting some key elements included and missing.
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Kill Fee: The Price of Silencing Moreland
David King reports on the money spent by the corruption commission convened and disbanded by Governor Cuomo with minimal results.
De Blasio's Hundred Days, Then and Now
Ben Max outlines Bill de Blasio's first hundred days as mayor, as public advocate, and as a city council member, finding some common threads.
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