New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) chief of staff failed to recognize red flags when reviewing New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin (D), according to a report.
The New York Post reported Jeff Lewis, Hochul’s chief of staff, was given the responsibility of vetting Benjamin before he was granted the number two position under Hochul in 2021.
One source claimed the review of Benjamin was “rushed.”
According to the outlet, Lewis failed to recognize alleged lies included in some of the official forms filled out by Benjamin.
The lies were reportedly detailed in an unsealed federal bribery indictment.
Another source explained, “Seeing the news yesterday, I was really disheartened because this came to our attention.”
The Post mentioned one source close the governor that shared “there were some flags” raised surrounding his vetting forms along with “some questions about going back in and making sure they were addressed.”
Additionally, the source said official emails among Hochul’s senior staff discussed the matter, as the Post reported.
The issue was then dropped a few days later.
New: @GovKathyHochul’s longtime chief of staff Jeff Lewis played a key role in her disastrous decision to name @BrianBenjaminNY as her lieutenant governor, & apparently missed major red flags. Lewis was in charge of vetting Benjamin last yr.https://t.co/REhcKiC29D via @nypmetro
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) April 14, 2022
The source reported Lewis and lawyer Jeffrey Pearlman, a special counsel to Hochul, gave her the go-ahead to select Benjamin.
On Tuesday, Benjamin was arrested on federal bribery charges, as IJR reported.
Hochul then announced he would be stepping down from his position “while the legal process plays out.”
State Sen. Dan Stec (R) issued a statement reacting to news of the arrest of Benjamin.
“Governor Hochul could have selected ANYONE as her running mate,” Stec said.
He added, “Instead, she stood by and recently reaffirmed her support for a Lieutenant Governor that’s now been indicted on federal bribery charges and soliciting campaign donations in exchange for state grants.”
Stec argued the arrest “is yet another sign of the Governor’s suspect judgment and the culture of corruption surrounding Albany Democrats.”
He continued, “New Yorkers deserve better than this endless cycle of indictments, investigations and corruption scandals.”
