Free Republic

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday night signed legislation granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants — just hours after the controversial measure passed the state Senate. Cuomo’s action came despite throwing supporters a last minute curveball by asking the state’s top civil attorney, Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, to review the measure for possible safety concerns — threatening to veto it if he didn’t like her assessment.

Under pressure from the courts and the New York attorney general, the Trump Foundation has agreed to dissolve under judicial supervision. Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced on Tuesday that the Foundation's remaining assets will be distributed to charities approved by her. And the lawsuit filed by the AG isn't over. According to Underwood's announcement, the lawsuit -- which seeks millions in restitution and penalties and a bar on President Trump and his three eldest children from serving on the boards of other New York charities -- remains ongoing.

Full title: Harvey Weinstein's Lawyer Gave $10,000 To Manhattan DA After He Declined To File Sexual Assault Charges Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer delivered $10,000 to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. in 2015, in the months after Vance’s office decided not to prosecute Weinstein over sexual assault allegations, according to an International Business Times review of campaign finance documents. That contribution from attorney David Boies — who previously headlined a fundraiser for Vance — was a fraction of the more than $182,000 that Boies, his son and his law partners have delivered to the Democrat during his political career....

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June ordered state Attorney General Barbara Underwood to pause her investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s handling of the Harvey Weinstein case, a spokeswoman for Underwood confirmed Tuesday.

As a native Illinoisan, I can appreciate the wildly corrupt nature of this story. New York Governor Mario Cuomo received a $25,000 donation from the law firm representing Harvey Weinstein just six days before he called off an investigation into the movie mogul's behavior. The explanation from the law firm for the donation could have been lifted from a Chicago alderman's playbook. Page Six: “Neither Mr. Boies, nor anyone from his firm, ever discussed Harvey Weinstein or Mr. Vance with Mr. Cuomo, or anyone from his office, at any time,” the spokesperson told online political publication Capital and Main. “Mr....

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood (D) has subpoenaed all eight Roman Catholic dioceses in the state as part of a probe into the church's handling of sex abuse allegations, The Associated Press reported Thursday. A source told the AP that the subpoenas, which went out Thursday, are requesting documents related to sex abuse accusations, payments to victims or findings from internal church investigations. Underwood's office is investigating how the Catholic Church reviewed and "potentially covered up allegations of extensive sexual abuse in NY,"

Fatima Perspectives #1231 As this column goes to press, the news has leaked that New York Attorney General Barbara Dale Underwood “has subpoenaed all New York Roman Catholic dioceses as part of a state-wide investigation into sex crimes committed by the church…”.I wonder if Cardinal Dolan, the endlessly amused Archbishop of New York, is laughing now — just as he belly-laughed when confronted by a staffer of The Fatima Center on the Borgo Pio in Rome, who reminded him of the manner in which he had disgraced the Church by leading a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade knowing full well that it...

AG Barbara Underwood orders Criminal Division into actionALBANY, N.Y. (ChurchMilitant.com) - New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood appears to be laying the groundwork for a grand jury investigation into clerical sex abuse and cover-up in the Empire State. Sources are telling Church Militant that, based on the findings of the Pennsylvania grand jury investigation, various state attorneys general — with Underwood in the lead — are considering launching investigations into clerical sex abuse and cover-up in their own states. On Thursday, Church Militant contacted the New York attorney general's office to inquire about efforts to expose sexual assault and cover-up...

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is out after the New Yorker published bombshell allegations that he had assaulted multiple women, so of course the speculation as already begun as to who will step into the job next. In answering the question of who will replace Eric Schneiderman, some people are saying Hillary Clinton should. Due to multiple issues with Clinton as a potential pick, though, it's almost certain that those people's dream will never come true. So far, Newsday has reported that the state legislature, which has the power to appoint a new attorney general, has not given any...

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood is pretty rankled by President Donald Trump’s pardon of Dinesh D’Souza. Underwood is so irritated, she’s calling for New York to change what she’s calling the “double jeopardy loophole” to prevent things like this from happening again. “President Trump’s latest pardon makes crystal clear his willingness to use his pardon power to thwart the cause of justice, rather than advance it. By pardoning Dinesh D’Souza, President Trump is undermining the rule of law by pardoning a political supporter who is an unapologetic convicted felon. First it was Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Then it was...

New York's highest court has denied a request to dismiss the state attorney general's lawsuit against the Trump Foundation. The New York Supreme Court, in documents made public Friday, denied a request from the defendants — President Trump, Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and the Donald J. Trump Foundation — to dismiss the lawsuit alleging they used the foundation for private and political gain. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood welcomed Justice Saliann Scarpulla's decision. "As we detailed in our petition earlier this year, the Trump Foundation functioned as little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political...

The New York State attorney general’s office filed a scathingly worded lawsuit on Thursday taking aim at the Donald J. Trump Foundation, accusing the charity and the Trump family of sweeping violations of campaign finance laws, self-dealing and illegal coordination with the presidential campaign. The lawsuit, which seeks to dissolve the foundation and bar President Trump and three of his children from serving on nonprofit organizations, was an extraordinary rebuke of a sitting president. The attorney general also sent referral letters to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Election Commission for possible further action, adding to Mr. Trump’s extensive...

New York interim Attorney General Barbara Underwood said on Thursday that President Trump's pardoning of conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza shows his willingness to thwart justice and adds urgency to the state's double jeopardy loophole.“President Trump’s latest pardon makes crystal clear his willingness to use his pardon power to thwart the cause of justice, rather than advance it," Underwood said in a statement. "By pardoning Dinesh D’Souza, President Trump is undermining the rule of law by pardoning a political supporter who is an unapologetic convicted felon. First, it was Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Then it was Scooter Libby. Now it’s Dinesh D’Souza,"...