[In Albany yesterday, Preet Bharara] said corruption stands in the way of what they hope to accomplish in elected office.
"When bids are rigged, your people suffer. When cronyism reigns, your people suffer," Bharara, the chief federal prosecutor for New York’s Southern District, said in a nearly 20-minute speech to the mayors. "When transparency takes a backseat to backroom deals, your people suffer. They suffer in loss of faith. They suffer in higher taxes. They suffer in loss of services. They suffer in opportunities squandered."
Bharara, 47, also attended the swearing-in ceremony Monday for the new Chief Judge Janet DiFiore at the Court of Appeals across the street from the Capitol. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was also in attendance, but the two did not cross paths — just weeks after Bharara absolved Cuomo of criminal wrongdoing for shuttering a corruption-busting panel in 2014.
