At a press conference held today, State Senate Leader Joe Bruno was scrutinized for his employment at the Winthrop Corporation, an investment management firm that has and does handle millions for many labor unions. Oddly enough, a piece in the New York Times from a few days ago showed that while nothing was blatantly illegal about Bruno's outside employment, there were still problems with how Bruno fits into the system that is corrupt New York politics. So when reporters asked about it, he quickly gave them the cold shoulder.
From The NYT Cityroom:
Question: “Senator, what do you do for the Winthrop Corporation?”
Senator Bruno: “That’s been in the news, right? And I’m not going to talk anymore about any of that today, because I have reported legally, ethically, what I do and what I have been doing in that instance and in every other instance, and have been accused of nothing wrong, not ethically, not morally, and not legally. Thank you, and I hope I see you before Christmas, but not too soon.”
So why won't Bruno talk about his job. Shouldn't New Yorkers know what he is up to at Winthrop, especially when one would wonder why an investment firm would want him on the payroll unless he was Senate Majority Leader. His political power has tremendous influence on where state funds go for projects between Buffalo, New York City and Lake Champlaign. While there is no smoking gun, it looks like there is a fox guarding our state's hen house here.
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