Cuomo Campaign Is Trying To Get This Molinaro TV Ad Pulled, Report Says

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s re-election campaign has filed a cease-and-desist letter to television stations trying to have his Republican challenger's new ad pulled from the air, claiming it is “false, misleading and defamatory” because the news article cited does not say that Cuomo himself is being probed as part of the Crystal Run investigation.

Jon Craig

08/21/2018 8:30 a.m.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Cuomo's GOP opponent, unveiled the TV ad this past weekend slamming Cuomo of New Castle about corruption convictions involving some top state aides and advisers.

“It is false, cheap and nasty,” Cuomo campaign spokeswoman Abbey Collins told the Daily News in this article. “It is exactly what you would expect from Trump mini-me Marc Molinaro.”

The 30-second ad titled “Guilty” focuses on the recent convictions on federal corruption charges of former Cuomo top aide and South Salem resident Joseph Percoco and Alain Kaloyeros, who oversaw the governor’s Upstate economic development plan as reported here by Daily Voice, and the guilty plea of former Cuomo associate Todd Howe.

“Andrew Cuomo’s top advisers are going to jail for stealing your tax dollars,” the television ad says. “And now he’s under investigation again for another pay-to-play scam,” the ad says while showing a report into an ongoing investigation into Crystal Run, a Hudson Valley health care group that received $25 million in state grants while donating more than $400,000 to Cuomo's campaign.

“It’s time for a change,” the ad continues. “Marc Molinaro has a real plan to fix New York and end Cuomo’s corruption for good.”

Cuomo already is facing a 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29 debate on WCBS-TV (Channel 2) and Sept. 13 Democratic primary runoff against "Sex And The City" actor and education activist Cynthia Nixon. The governor was hammered by Nixon and President Trump last week for a speech in which he proclaimed America "was never that great," as reported here.

Molinaro said, "Andrew Cuomo will stop at nothing to intimidate those who dare to speak the truth about him."

Molinaro claims that the Public Service Commission's recent vote to expel the state's largest cable TV provided Spectrum from New York -- as reported here by Daily Voice -- is linked to Spectrum subsidiary NY1 daring "to ask him challenging questions (and) set off alarms for all who cherish the First Amendment."

Cuomo has taken issue with this ad and ordered a cease and desist letter to Spectrum and our campaign, Molinaro said.

The Molinaro ad in question is posted above, and can be accessed by clicking online here:

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