This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin speaks at a January news conference before he attended the first meeting of the governor's Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns in East Greenbush.

ALBANY — On Tuesday, New York politicians began issuing statements reacting to the stunning news of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin’s arrest on charges relating to alleged bribery and campaign finance fraud.

The Times Union will be compiling those statements and placing them here throughout the day. 

Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt: 

Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin’s arrest today on federal corruption charges is another stain on New York State Government, and calls into question Governor Hochul’s judgment. 

Over the past few days and weeks, Kathy Hochul and the Majorities in Albany have reinforced their support for Brian Benjamin despite news of federal investigations. Governor Hochul said herself this morning that she’s 'changed the culture of Albany.' Unfortunately, it looks like business as usual in our state Capitol. 

Kathy Hochul and Senate Democrats might tolerate this corruption, but New Yorkers don’t and neither do I. 

I’m calling on Governor Hochul and Senate Democrats to stop hiding from the truth and join me in demanding Brian Benjamin’s resignation.

Bribery is a serious crime and the Lieutenant Governor is an important leadership position who is one heartbeat away from becoming our state’s chief executive. The shocking arrest today of Gov.r Kathy Hochul’s hand-selected Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin for a federal bribery conspiracy charge as part of an alleged campaign finance scheme marks another sad day at the state Capitol and another slap in the face to the millions of overburdened New York taxpayers who face high taxes, rising crime and a deteriorating quality of life in the state they love.    How many times do New Yorkers have to watch this movie because we keep seeing the same storyline play out again and again?   Lt. Gov. Benjamin must resign immediately because he’s under a cloud of criminality and we can’t have another distraction like we had in the past year with Gov. Hochul’s mentor, the disgraced Andrew Cuomo.  This arrest also raises serious questions about Gov. Hochul’s judgment and her vetting process, because so far, it’s been amateur hour on the Second Floor since she took over.   New Yorkers deserve so much better.

Assemblyman Mike Lawler, R-Pearl River:

Ever since the departure of Gov. Pataki, without fail, scandals have gripped the Governor's Mansion in the state of New York. The arrest of Brian Benjamin is just the latest in a long string of arrests, scandals, ethics violations, harassment, and abuses of power.

Albany's "Cesspool of Corruption" simply will not change until there is a change in leadership in the Governor's mansion. Kathy Hochul has failed to change course and instead has doubled down on the same, corrupt policies pursued by her predecessor. We need to restore balance and common sense to state government this November by electing a Republican governor and increasing the number of Republicans in the state legislature.

Additionally, as I stated during the budget debate last week, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins should take a long, hard look at the practice of member items and non-profit grants, as it's clear they breed corruption and a pay-to-play culture. The practice should be eliminated entirely.

NY GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy: 

In her first major decision as governor, Kathy Hochul chose a dirty politician to serve as her partner in government and running mate. Brian Benjamin’s shady dealings and corruption were well-documented, but Hochul turned a blind eye and put him a heartbeat away from the governorship. This decision was not just dangerous incompetence, it is proof that her tolerance for corruption runs deep in her veins, which is no surprise given she dutifully served with Andrew Cuomo for seven years. Just days ago, she continued to say she had ‘full confidence in him.’ She does not possess the judgment nor the moral code to serve as governor. The only way to wipe clean the Cuomo-Hochul stench is to throw the entire corrupt cabal out of office this November.

Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator of Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition representing tenants and homeless New Yorkers: 

Brian Benjamin’s arrest shows that money corrupts, and no money corrupts more than real estate money. The fact that a real estate developer is at the heart of this story is no surprise. The real estate lobby and big landlords will do whatever it takes to line their pockets - ethics be damned. Just this week, The Real Deal reported that a law firm had rubber stamped the claims of landlords to evict tenants from their homes, without even checking whether the claims were true. 

This story shows that we need bright clear lines to protect tenants from the whims of landlords and the real estate lobby. It’s even more proof that we need to pass Good Cause Eviction and reject Kathy Hochul’s ludicrous rebrand of 421-a, make sure tenants can stay in their homes without fear, and end big real estate’s power to kick tenants out of their homes to pad their profits.

Joint statement from gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep Tom Souzzi, D-Long Island, and former New York City Councilwoman Diana Reyna, his running mate: 

Today's bombshell is an indictment on Kathy Hochul's lack of experience and poor judgement. Hochul's first decision was to pick her LG, who she entrusted with leading her failed bail reform effort, negotiating the budget and last week said she had the utmost faith in him despite many reports of investigations into his conduct in office.

Hochul has fostered a culture of continued corruption with months of fundraising from pay-to-play insiders and people doing business with the state, and secretive budget deals that resulted in the billion dollar Bills stadium and little else.

The Suozzi/Reyna ticket will clean up this corrupt mess, combat crime, cut taxes by 10 percent, reduce gas prices and utility bills, and put hard working New Yorkers first.

Michelle Del Rey is a Capitol Bureau reporter for the Times Union and a member of the 2021-2023 Hearst Fellowship class. Before joining the Times Union, she worked as a freelance reporter, writing for national publications including the Guardian, BuzzFeed News and Kinfolk Magazine. In 2020, she graduated with honors from the University of Westminster in London, England, where she studied journalism. She is originally from Long Beach, California and speaks Spanish. You can reach her at Michelle.DelRey@hearst.com.