The big news this morning is that the feds are about to arrest New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on corruption charges. Silver has been the head of the Assembly for the last twenty years. In New York, that makes him one of the most powerful people in the state, if not the single most powerful person of the last two decades. The speaker wields near total control of the state legislature; party discipline is enforced on essentially every vote. Now, Silver may be about to fall from power.
One of the unusual aspects of the New York legislature is that the members of that body work "part time" and have private careers while in office. This allows the members to cash in on their positions in ways that frequently seem less than honorable. Silver, himself, is a member of a personal injury law firm from which he earns major amounts each year. The arrest today stems from payments Silver allegedly received from another law firm, payments that were not disclosed by Silver.
The most important aspect of the news is that Silver is being arrested by the US Justice Department run by Eric Holder. That means that the national Democrat administration is arresting the second or third most important Democrat in New York. That safely rules out the possibility that this is a "political" move.
It will be interesting to learn more about the charges against Silver when they are fully made public.
One of the unusual aspects of the New York legislature is that the members of that body work "part time" and have private careers while in office. This allows the members to cash in on their positions in ways that frequently seem less than honorable. Silver, himself, is a member of a personal injury law firm from which he earns major amounts each year. The arrest today stems from payments Silver allegedly received from another law firm, payments that were not disclosed by Silver.
The most important aspect of the news is that Silver is being arrested by the US Justice Department run by Eric Holder. That means that the national Democrat administration is arresting the second or third most important Democrat in New York. That safely rules out the possibility that this is a "political" move.
It will be interesting to learn more about the charges against Silver when they are fully made public.
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