Is Cuomo to Blame for the Sins of His Associates?

Since taking office in 2011, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has emerged as an aggressive public personality, eager to pick a fight with Bill de Blasio, and also adept at raising large amounts of money for his campaign chest. 

And now, as Cuomo is running for his third term this fall, he is being chased by the ghosts of four Albany figures who were found guilty of corruption earlier this year.

There's no evidence Cuomo knew about the illegal actions that came under scrutiny in those trials, says New York magazine contributing editor Chris Smith, who published a profile of Cuomo in the Aug. 20 issue.

"There's certainly a good deal of plausible deniability," Smith told WNYC's Jami Floyd.

But two of the cases involved operatives trading government favors in order to raise money for Cuomo's campaign funds — not a good look for the governor, Smith says. Cuomo's closeness to Joe Percoco and Alain Kaloyeros, both convicted on federal conspiracy charges, contradicts the governor's earlier reputation as a crusader against corruption. (The other two men were the former leaders of the State Assembly and Senate.)

"The governor's push to accumulate a massive campaign war chest is the kind of thing that can lead to those abuses," Smith said.

Speaking with WNYC's Jami Floyd, Smith discussed his profile of Cuomo, the governor's possible bid for the presidency, and his reputation for complicated political deals.