Moreland Commission Co-Chair Interviewed
One of the Co-Chairs to the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, was interviewed on the Capital Pressroom this morning. (Listen to the interview here. D.A. Fitzpatrick’s interview begins at the 23:10 mark and continues until the 37:50 mark.)
Asked about criticism of the Commission, he said the panel is independent and is effectively doing its job. He denied that the Governor’s office has interfered with the Commission’s work, and called the leaks that have come from the Commission “unfortunate.”
He also spoke of the subpoenas that the Commission has issued to law firms that employ state legislators. He said that he expects a legal challenge, but is confident that the Commission will prevail.
He said that the Commission will be issuing a report by Dec. 1st, and that it will include two parts. One part will relate to policy, and will include legislative recommendations. The second part will include criminal or civil referrals where the Commission has identified wrongdoing.
Read news coverage of the interview from Gannett, Capital NY, the Daily Politics, State of Politics and the Syracuse Post-Standard. A follow-up Daily Politics post quotes “several insiders” in criticizing D.A. Fitzpatrick for some of his assertions.
Also, today’s New York Law Journal (behind a paywall) includes an article in which State Senator John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse) acknowledged that his firm has received a subpoena from the Moreland Commission, and said that he is reluctant to comply with the subpoena:
“If there was an ongoing investigation with an issue, that is one thing. But to require every attorney who happens to be in the Legislature open up their client lists, when it is not required by law, is troublesome to me….A subpoena is supposed to be a document in furtherance of an investigation. The fact of the matter is these subpoenas have been sent out in the hopes that something will be found. That seems wrong to me. I think the Senate and Assembly should both contest them on separation of powers grounds as well as client confidentiality.”