Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson

Celebrity News

Cuomo commission probe is a tangled web

The trouble Gov. Cuomo is in for shutting down his Moreland Commission that was supposed to root out corruption is not entirely self-inflicted, sources say. Sen. Chuck Schumer seems to be connected through a number of former staffers led by Preet Bharara.

Bharara was Schumer’s chief counsel before President Obama picked him in 2009 on Schumer’s recommendation to be the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he has distinguished himself with a string of convictions.

“Schumer gave Preet his job, and Preet is still loyal to him,” said one insider.

Now that Bharara is investigating whether Cuomo interfered with the Moreland Commission before he put it out of business, a key witness could be Danya Perry, who was head of investigations for Moreland.

“Her old boss Preet now has all her files,” said my source.

Perry came from Bharara’s office and was only given the Moreland job after Ben Lawsky, the head of Cuomo’s Department of Financial Services, vouched for her, sources say. Lawsky, who also previously worked for Schumer, worked with Perry in the US Attorney’s office.

“A lot of former colleagues are now on different sides,” the source said. “There’s no love lost between Cuomo and Schumer, and Schumer is connected to almost everyone involved. As the other Alpha-Democrat in the state, Schumer only gains when Cuomo is diminished.”