Stopping Corruption: It’s Up to You New York, New York

New Yorkers have to realize we’re on our own. There is no federal sheriff and won’t be for a long time. If the Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, State Senate and  Assembly, City Council, City Comptroller, Public Advocate, and various district attorneys are serious about maintaining our democracy and following the rule of law, they have to step up now. This means fixing the things they can fix – which is a lot.

Sometime in the next few weeks the New York Court of Appeals will decide if the law creating the state ethics commission in 2022 is constitutional. If they don’t, the Governor and Legislature will have to quickly pass a new law correcting the issue the court identified while keeping the commission as strong and independent as possible. This will be a test of Albany’s mettle, fortitude, and ability to overcome its own worst instincts. For New York’s sake, they have to pass this test. 

Why? Because Monday, February 10, 2025 was a historically bad day for the rule of law and ethical government in New York City, New York State, and the United States. President Trump ordered the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY to drop all charges against Mayor Eric Adams and told the Department of Justice to “pause” enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act – a cornerstone of U.S. and global anti-corruption efforts. Trump also escalated the assault on the independence and authority of the Southern District – known as the “Sovereign District” among insiders – which has been by far the most important anti-corruption sheriff in the Wild West of NY State and City government for decades. He did so because an independent Southern District is a threat to his power. It has large, sophisticated, special units with deep expertise in counter-intelligence, money laundering, and global organized crime.

A cynic would say that New York’s elected leaders are not up to the challenge of ethical self-governance and would rather sit around and complain about the corrupt Trump administration and its lapdogs. We disagree. We think they can and will rise to this challenge of a lifetime, and we will be rooting for them.

(Note: On September 26, 2024 we called for Mayor Eric Adams to resign or be removed by Governor Kathy Hochul. This remains our position.)