Barrett: Did Paterson Consider the Bruno Connection to Gillibrand's Dad?

For those of you who want to ignore the connection to Bruno


A remarkably untimely cloud hangs over Governor David Paterson's apparent selection of Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton as junior senator of New York.

Federal prosecutors, according to numerous news accounts, are poised to indict former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and no one knows if that possible indictment will contain allegations about a real estate deal that involved Bruno and Gillibrand's father, Albany lobbyist and power broker Doug Rutnik.

What we do know is that prosecutors subpoenaed all the records of this complex transaction which, at the very least, raise stark ethical questions about Rutnik's awkward business relationship with a powerful public official he lobbied. No one familiar with Gillibrand's rapid political ascent would question the pivotal role that Rutnik has played in it, milking his wide-ranging political connections for his daughter.

The governor's office has made it clear that Caroline Kennedy was submarined by questions she couldn't answer in the vetting process, ostensibly involving taxes and a nanny. But it's unclear if Paterson has even considered the possibility that as he and Gillibrand prepare for their 2010 campaigns, her family could be dogged by conflict of interest allegations. The Bruno probe has been so far-flung and well chronicled -- particularly by the Albany Times Union -- that it is impossible to tell what elements of any case against him might consist of, but the deal with Rutnik is certainly an inviting target.

No one disputes the fact that Rutnik was a 25 percent partner with Bruno, Bruno's brother, and another lobbyist in First Grafton Corporation, a development firm that was planning to build luxury homes in Grafton, where the senator lived. The wife of a wealthy businessman, Jared Abbruzzese, whose myriad connections to Bruno have the continuing focus of the probe, wind up buying a 12 acre plot from the Bruno/Rutnik partnership. Bruno's son Ken also bought a plot and built his own home there. Ken Bruno, then the District Attorney for Rensselaer County, subsequently became a lobbyist and had at least one of the same clients as Rutnik, Madison Square Garden.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/01/a_remarkably_un.php

Rutnik's ties to Bruno, former Senator Al D'Amato and Governor George Pataki helped pave the way for Gillibrand's stunning win in 2006, taking a majority Republican seat away from an incumbent, John Sweeney, disliked by GOP insiders.

would you like to explain why you are trying to smear a LIBERAL DEMOCRAT?

until then, just the hint of impropriety stinks, and don't play that "you're not Liberal enough" game with me. If her Father is dirty, she can't serve, period.

Do you think that JFK, RFK and Ted should have been unable to serve because of anything their dad did? If not dad's, should the sober Jimmy Carter been ruled out because of Billy - Bill Clinton by Roger and Hillary by BOTH her brothers? How distant a relative are you responsible for?

Let the voters of NY decide when all the facts are on the table.

the guilt by association.

you are talking about? Certainly not Gillibrand. She just doesn't associate herself with the word liberal and she is proud of it too.

you folks have nothing to say even though you tried to bash my wrinkled old ass in the previous thread? Bruno is dirty, Rutnik may be dirty, and his kid Gillibrand may be guilty by association, Paterson didn't think this through at all.

ALBANY– A federal grand jury has indicted former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican, accusing him of eight counts of public corruption. He is charged with using his office to deprive the pubic of the honest services of government.

Bruno, 79, is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Baxter has scheduled a press conference for 2:30 p.m.

The 35-page indictment of Bruno was unsealed Friday and culminates a three year investigation into his business interests and his long time relationship with Jared E. Abbruzzese. Bruno Indictment

The statute, Sec. 1346, says only that “the term ’scheme or artifice to defraud’ includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/061306HonestServices.html

According to United States v. Rybicki, 287 F.3d 257 (2d Cir. 2002), the elements necessary to establish the offense of honest services fraud are: a scheme or artifice to defraud for the purposes of depriving another of the intangible right of honest services where it is reasonably foreseeable that the scheme could cause some economic or pecuniary harm to the victim that is more than de minimis and use of the mails or wires in furtherance of the scheme.

Bruno resigned from the Senate in July 2008, claiming it was time for him to “ride off into the sunset” and denying that his sudden decision to leave the Senate without finishing out his term had anything to do with the ongoing FBI investigation into his business dealings.

Bruno had been Senate Majority Leader since 1994 and was said to be the oldest serving state legislative leader in the country. He had made his shocking announcement last June that he would not seek reelection last fall and that he was stepping down as Senate Majority Leader the same day that the FBI removed 30 boxes of documents from his office.

Bruno and his private consulting company, Capital Business Consultants LLC which he operates out of his Troy home in Rensselaer County, were then the subject of an two-year FBI investigation.

Bruno and his use of state aircraft is the nucleus of Troopergate and the ongoing investigation of the New York State Police by the Attorney General’s office.

Born in Glens Falls, Bruno now lives in Rensselaer County which, along with Saratoga County, he represented in the Senate. His wife of 57 years, Barbara, died in last January. His son, Kenneth, once the Rensselaer County district attorney, is now a lobbyist.

When Bruno was asked if the FBI investigation had any influence on his decision to leave public office, Bruno said “I have never been accused of anything and don’t ever expect to be accused of anything because I haven’t done anything wrong. It’s totally appropriate for authorities to take a look at what people do, especially when they’re in higher offices. But they’ve been at this for two years and I am confident that absolutely nothing has been done wrong and that time will reveal that. But that has absolutely no bearing on my life—none”.

Allegations had been made against Bruno involving his connection with Evident Technologies, a company to which Bruno steered $500,000 in state grants from the Empire State Development Corp. Two of Evident’s directors, co-founder Jared Abbruzzese and Wayne Barr, a former co-chairman, are personal friends of Bruno’s and share his avid interest in horse racing.

Abbruzzese was formerly associated with Empire Racing Associates, one of several groups including Excelsior Group, led by Steve Swindal, son-in-law of NY Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner and gambling magnate Richard Fields, which had been seeking the state franchise to operate thoroughbred racing in New York at the Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga racetracks.

The state Lobby Commission began investigating Abbruzzese in 2005 for providing Bruno with free air travel on his private plane for several trips including a tour of Kentucky horse farms owned by Barr.

Abbruzzese allegedly paid Bruno several hundred thousands of dollars as a private consultant and was a client at the time that the firm in which he has an interest received the $500,000 grant, “state member item”, at the direction of Bruno.

Albany lobbyist and close friend of Bruno, attorney James Featherstonhaugh, had revealed that federal investigators asked him to produce records of a real estate deal in which both he and Bruno were involved, First Grafton Corp. The firm was dissolved in May 2005 and Bruno had owned 25% of the venture through a blind trust formed in 1992. The operation was formed to create residential developments on 625 acres in the town of Grafton near Bruno’s home.

Other principals in the real estate venture were Bruno’s brother, Peter; Doug Rutnik, father of newly elected Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, and Richard Carota, a Glens Falls businessman and associate of Peter Bruno.

http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2009/01/23/bruno_indicted/

Now that Caroline Kennedy has dropped out, the new frontrunner for Hillary Clinton's senate seat is upstate congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democratic hero for capturing a Republican-majority district in 2006. Camera crews are now posted outside her home in Hudson, New York, and she is reportedly telling Washington colleagues that she believes she will be tapped by Governor David Paterson, who is now in such a rush to announce a pick that he plans to do it either tomorrow or Saturday.

The irony is that Paterson may be swinging from the nation's most prominent Democratic family to one with strong Republican ties. Gillibrand's father, Doug Rutnik, is an Albany insider and lobbyist whose ties to former GOP powerhouses Joe Bruno, George Pataki and Al D'Amato are legendary. In fact, Gillibrand won her seat when a state police domestic violence report about the GOP incumbent, John Sweeney, was mysteriously leaked, ostensibly with the acquiescence of the Pataki administration, which had its own reasons to oppose Sweeney. Bruno is under federal investigation now, and some of the subpoenas in the case involved a real estate deal that partnered Rutnik with Bruno and another lobbyist. Rutnik dated, and eventually lived with, a top Pataki and D'Amato aide for many years, until he broke up with her in 2006 to marry a cousin of his, Gwen Lee, who'd worked in high-paying state jobs secured by the same aide. Rutnik and D'Amato have been registered lobbyists for some of the same clients.

Ironically, Chuck Schumer, who defeated D'Amato in 1998, is said to be Gillibrand's top Democratic champion. What's even more ironic is that Gillibrand has a one hundred percent rating from the National Rifle Association, and Schumer made his own national reputation as a sponsor of the assault weapons ban and a fierce proponent of Brady bill and other gun control legislation. Gillibrand even opposes any limitations on the sale of semiautomatic weapons or "cop-killer" bullets that can pierce armored vests. Schumer's other signature issue is the care and feeding of Wall Street, and Gillibrand voted against both of the Schumer-supported financial service bailout bills last fall, which have delivered billions to New York, salvaging institutions like Citigroup. An editorial in Crain's, the city's premier business news magazine, said recently that Gillibrand "should be disqualified" from seeking the senate seat "by her politically expedient vote" against the bailout.

One connection between the senator and the congresswoman is that Schumer's chief of staff, Mike Lynch, is married to Gillibrand's legislative director, Brooke Jamison, a former Schumer staffer. In Schumer's 2007 book, Positively American, he called Lynch "my most trusted staffer" ever. Schumer has handpicked senate candidates across the country with great skill, picking enough winners in 2006 and 2008 to give the party its new, rather hefty, majority; but his apparent favorite in his home state, if it is Gillibrand, is out of step with New York voters, particularly Democrats, on a host of issues.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/01/the_new_frontru.php

Gillibrand has described her own voting record as "one of the most conservative in the state." She opposes any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, supports renewing the Bush tax cuts for individuals earning up to $1 million annually, and voted for the Bush-backed FISA bill that permits wiretapping of international calls. She was one of four Democratic freshmen in the country, and the only Democrat in the New York delegation, to vote for the Bush administration's bill to extend funding for the Iraq war shortly after she entered congress in 2007. While she now contends that she's always opposed the war and has voted for bills to end it, one upstate paper reported when she first ran for the seat: "She said she supports the war in Iraq." In addition to her vote to extend funding, she also missed a key vote to override a Bush veto of a Democratic bill with Iraq timetables.

If she is responsible for her dad - than Hillary Clinton is responsible for her two less than praiseworthy brothers, Bill Clinton is responsible for Roger Clinton, Jimmy Carter for Bill Carter, Al Gore for his adult son ... You can go on - and if you can't get a current living relative - find a scalawag from generations before in their family tree.

and not post the criticisms here? Fair is fair, let the chips fall where they may. She isn't as Liberal as you all hope.

The fact is her father is clearly connected to Bruno - and MAY be involved in this. That does not mean that his DAUGHTER Is.

I never said that she was liberal - she is not reputed to be one and much of her record is that of more conservative Democrat. Attach her record - her words, her actions, but this story has 2 big reasons to not jump - one - She may be totally uninvolved and two - her dad does not seem to be among those described as likely to be indicted.

There are LOTS of people I would prefer - in fact - nearly everyone. I simply don't think using this is fair - and I note that you didn't comment whether the bad behavior of relatives of Carter and Clintons should have eliminated them.

And Hillary had to get concession from Bill regarding HIS donors, so when She was selected for SOS, SHE was responsible for his actions, no matter if you don't like it. I'm tired, I shouldn't have to defend what others write, that's crap, write letters to the original sources and bitch them out, your attacks on me about "The NEWS" are mind numbing.

hit pieces with dubious sources. If you don't post them, you don't have to defend them.

Posting them means you agree with them unless you say otherwise, and if you agree, you have to say why.

BTW, just what IS her record? And what will her future record be?

on NY politics, why not enlighten us, oh and if you DON'T like the stories I posted, just write to the authors, the links are in all of the posts. Dubious sources my ass.


I don't have to do shit. And I don't have to reply to you if I don't feel like it, like hundreds of other posters here who throw shit out and stand back without comment.

and it won't blow back.

on her. You can't prevent me from posting news, and you can't make me comment to your liking, but now you have me pissed off, and I think a couple of you here vigoriously defending her WITHOUT substance just hyperbole makes you suspect.

I don't work for the DLC, THE DNC, THE DCCC, or Schumer, do you?

substance or a shred of real evidence.

So, knock yourself out, and hope you don't embarass yourself if she turns out to do a good job.

(As if anyone will remember what any of us said)

And I won't be embarrassing my self over this. the Governor has already done a good job at that himself.

whether I do or not should have nothing to do with this.

For better or worse Gillibrand is now my Senator and I will wait to see how she does the job before making judgment, but I see no reason to expect her to be anything but good at the job.

That's pretty much all I'm saying, and I do not understand all the angst over this appointment.

Her dad is associated with Bruno. There is nothing to suggest that she is in the article.

As to Hillary and Bill - that was done to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest. The parallel would be rejecting her because Bill was connected to someone indicted for corruption.

where she went from corporate lawyer to US Rep via one of the most expensive Congressional races in US history. So I think her dad is in the game unless she paid for it herself.

In 2004, the Republicans (and likely some Democrats) watched to insure that Kerry couldn't use millions from his wife. I assume, that like THK, her dad was constrained to giving her no more than the limit.

he DIDN'T think about all that before appointing her? This is New York where half the known double crosses were invented and we have busses with huge arrows and signs saying "Throw Them Under Here"

It's not like nobody else wanted the job, and besides that Kennedy woman who flounced in at the last minute and skootched out shortly thereafter, there's that Cuomo guy, the Mayor of Buffalo, Steve Israel, and a whole bunch of other people all you kibbitzers never heard of. Seems like my congressman was the only Democrat not tapdancing to the tune, but who knows what he does behind closed doors.

Fact is that while I'm not an expert on the whole state's politics I do try to keep up at least a little, but I hardly heard about Gillibrand until her name floated to the top of the list. Then I find out she seems to be a pit bull on the campaign trail, has some serious ties to the Clintons, can raise mucho cash, and tilted to right just enough to guarantee a win against a disgraced Republican drunken wifebeater in a gerrymandered guaranteed Republican district.

Now she's morphing into a liberal Democrat, but still has enough upstate creds to give a big boost to Paterson as they run together next year. New York State, you see, is not just the Upper West Side of Manhattan but has places like Utica, Corning, Syracuse, and Watertown. And lots of places in between.

So, I have no idea how this is going to play out, but the first thing I would do is wait until the woman is ACTUALLY IN THE SENATE before pontificating on how badly she's doing there. You're embarrasing yourselves just like the clowns who thought the world was coming to an end because Obama was screwing everything up BEFORE he was sworn in.

Then, I would sit back and enjoy the show-- it should be a good one.

(As I've said before-- she's MY Senator now, and I like her so far, so all you bloviators from afar can deal with your own legislators. Or kiss my ass. Or both.)

My dad knew a lot of drug dealers. Does that make me a drug dealer?

Blinders, DU standard issue......

What's so 'Republican' about that?

You're consistently very rude to people who disagree with you.
I find it unpleasant.

Life isn't whipped cream and cherries, it's dealing, and you got that red X if you decide you don't want to read my posts any more.

She isn't a Liberal by ANY stretch of the imagination, and she has RUN from the Liberal label and WON'T admit to BEING a Liberal, and if a few of you would read the links I posted in their entirety, maybe it would be clearer, but alas, DU is the forum for reading the post directly above or below yours, nothing more.

Gillibrand has described her own voting record as "one of the most conservative in the state." She opposes any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, supports renewing the Bush tax cuts for individuals earning up to $1 million annually, and voted for the Bush-backed FISA bill that permits wiretapping of international calls. She was one of four Democratic freshmen in the country, and the only Democrat in the New York delegation, to vote for the Bush administration's bill to extend funding for the Iraq war shortly after she entered congress in 2007. While she now contends that she's always opposed the war and has voted for bills to end it, one upstate paper reported when she first ran for the seat: "She said she supports the war in Iraq." In addition to her vote to extend funding, she also missed a key vote to override a Bush veto of a Democratic bill with Iraq timetables.

And until Saturday, she was anti-GLBT rights. She's also got a 100% NRA rating from an organization that
spent tens of millions trying to defeat the Democratic nominee for president with dishonest 527 ads. That
7% matters. Oh, and she is unapologetic about her pro-IWR vote.

Gee, what a Democrat she is; good luck with that re-election in 2010! :sarcasm:

even when I post fact with followup, and it's MY JOB to make sure the authors are accurate.

Thanks for noticing.

:hi:

"it's MY JOB to make sure the authors are accurate"

You're one of my fav posters for that reason and others having to do with your acerbic retorts. Keep it up, brother. :hi:

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :pals: :pals: :hug: :hug:

As soon as I get around to being a donor - after this post - you're going on my Buddy list (evidently, I've lapsed).

:hug: :yourock:

Updated to add: I've donated.

there are direct ties to HER. She is not her father.

David Boies, the senior partner at the firm, contributed $25,000 to Paterson's campaign committee on December 23, 2008, while the governor was considering Gillibrand's candidacy. Boies' son Chris, also a partner in the firm, contributed another $25,000 on the same day.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/01/the_new_frontru.php