Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, left, said this morning that “it was stupid” to joke with lobbyists last week in Ulster County that his Democratic conference is like an IPO and that lobbyists should invest now to get in cheap before Democrats win the majority.
He also joked with them that Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, is his enforcer to get campaign cash out of them.
The comments have drawn sharp rebukes from Senate Republicans, and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos continued to criticize Smith’s comments, repeating today that it was a type of “thuggery.”
But Smith said “It was stupid. It was just a stupid joke, but the bottom line is in our conference I always stand for reform.”
And he knocked Skelos, right, for the “thuggery” comments, saying “I don’t think someone of his stature should use that kind of language.”
But Skelos stood by his comments.
“When an elected official says that they have an enforcer if you don’t contribute, that’s an inappropriate way to go,” Skelos said after he and Smith appeared separately on Fred Dicker’s radio show this morning.
Yet Skelos, unlike some of his Republican colleagues, stopped short of saying Smith’s comments should be investigated criminally.
“Whether you’re an elected official or staff people, you should not be pushing people or threatening people for contributions,” he said.
Updated: The flap has led to one casualty. Smith just announced that he’s reassigned his communications director Curtis Taylor:
“I have recently accepted the resignation of Curtis Taylor as the Communications Director and Press Secretary of the State Senate Democratic Conference. Mr. Taylor will be moving over to Conference Services where his skills and services will be better utilized.”
6 Comments
Where is Blair Horner and Barbara Bartoletti and Russ DeHaven and Common Cause? If a Republican said something like this they would be on him or her like white on rice.
its no surprise from smith, it just validates that he is a clown.
Joke? Where was the joke? He’s the first guy to tell it like it is. Step right up and make your offers. These Albany folks should tape a sign to their heads that says: FOR RENT. And, under that, in smaller print, UNFURNISHED.
SERIOUSLY. Smith makes the comment and his press guy gets reassigned?! I am sure it was his press guy that worked tirelessly to fix what Smith said. What a bunch of clowns up in albany! I guess my vote will keep the majority with the republicans. At least I know what to expect.
These dodos are so used to using sacrificial lambs for their indiscretions that now their starting to use sacrificial magpies. Curtis Taylor’s problem is probably either that he was assigned, and failed at the job of talking to the reporter who wrote this to dissuade him from doing so, or he’s being held responsible for the guest list which included a lobbyist who blew the whistle.
Why would a lobbyist blow the whistle on themselves. Surely there was a republican supporter in the crowd trying to get dirt. It worked. How come not one blog out there is even discussing the NY Daily News article about Smith’s child out of wed lock not too long ago?
I do believe the “sacrificial Lamb” part but then still keep him on staff at his $118K a year? I never knew the staff was union!