Where’s “Prince Andrew?” Group Asks (Updated)

Posted by: Joseph Spector - Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 15, 2010

The conservative group New Yorkers For Growth is taking aim at Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for his failure to investigate the Working Families Party in an ad titled “Prince Andrew.”

The ad knocks Cuomo for failing to look into allegations that the Working Families Party has violated campaign-finance laws and set up for-profit group, Data and Field Services, to conduct campaign work for candidates.

The group charges that Cuomo, who is expected to run for governor, has shied away from using his office’s Charities Bureau to investigate the Working Families Party because Cuomo is likely to get the labor-backed party’s endorsement.

“The Working Familes Party has been accused of serious crimes involving the possible manipulation of elections, and it is Attorney General Cuomo’s sworn obligation to investigate that,” said New Yorkers for Growth spokeswoman Liz Feld, the outgoing Larchmont mayor and former Republican state Senate candidate.

Updated: The Working Families Party fired back that Cuomo should be investigating New Yorkers for Growth co-founder John Faso, a former Republican assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate.

Faso and his lobbying firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips were paid up to $600,000 by the Paterson administration to help with the gambling contract for Aqueduct Race Track.

“The mess of a bidding process that resulted raises the question: what did Faso and his firm do with the money?,” said WFP spokesman Dan Levitan.

The firm also represents Delaware North, which was one of bidders for the Aqueduct deal, on out of state deals, the Daily News reported.

“The bidding process turned into a fiasco. Where was Manatt? Where was Faso? What advice did they give, or fail to give? And where is the $600,000?,” Levitan said in a statement. “The State Attorney General should investigate these questions.”