Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) is calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to explain the recent stories about his failure to adhere to federal pay-to-play rules. The governor is barred from giving taxpayer-financed bond work to campaign contributors within a two-year window, yet failed to do so for powerhouse banks like JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America.

“We have a governor who sought to end pay-to-play, but now has appeared to have taken part in it,” Friend said. “These are federal rules which exist to prevent Wall Street titans from gaining undue influence from their campaign donations. Bond work is highly lucrative for the banking industry. Gov. Cuomo’s new chief of staff, Bill Mulrow, is a former Blackstone Lobbyist, and was head of the New York State Housing Finance Agency until he joined the governor’s office. At the very least, the people of this state deserve answers from the governor himself regarding these charges.”