Lee Zeldin relationship with super PACs probed by state

ALBANY — The state Board of Elections is investigating whether a pair of big spending political action committees supporting Republican Lee Zeldin violated state law by coordinating activities with the gubernatorial candidate.

But the probe has been delayed, likely past Election Day, meaning it won’t be sorted out till after Zeldin or Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul wins the top race in New York.

At issue are the activities of two super PACs, Save Our State Inc. and Safe Together New York.

The PACs, funded primarily by billionaire cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, have raised more than $10 million to help Zeldin in his gubernatorial bid.

Under the law, they must be independent entities and are prohibited from coordinating efforts with a candidate.

Unlike a candidate’s campaign committee, such “independent groups” are bound by caps on expenditures and donations.

But Save Our State Inc. and Safe Together New York have multiple individuals whose roles may overlap with Zeldin’s campaign, according to an Albany Times Union report and a complaint filed by Democrats.

The Board of Elections chief attorney, Michael Johnson, has initiated a probe of the issue.

But his attempt to issue subpoenas stalled when two Republican board members skipped a meeting on Tuesday, effectively delaying a vote on authorizing the subpoenas, according to The New York Times.

Without an authorization vote, any subpoenas would have to wait 20 days before going out — pushing any investigation past Election Day.

Democrats criticized what they called illegal campaign coordination by Republicans and an intentional delay of the probe.

“Republicans are shook up. This is obstruction,” Jay Jacobs, State Democratic Chairman, said Friday about the delay.

Jacobs, also the Nassau County Democratic chief, also cited reports that Zeldin recently asked the Republican Governors Association to send money to the super PACs, calling it another sign of prohibited coordination.

“That’s not the way elections should be run,” Jacobs told Newsday Friday. “Why have campaign finance laws and campaign finance limits if Lee Zeldin doesn’t have to follow them.”

Republicans called the elections board probe an attempt to deflect attention from a tightening race for governor.

They also noted Johnson, the lead attorney in the matter, was appointed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Hochul’s Democratic predecessor.

Zeldin campaign spokeswoman Katie Vincentz said the Democrats’ complaint rested on a “baseless” conspiracy theory.

“This is quite obviously Kathy Hochul’s latest desperate attempt to try and deflect from her abysmal record on issues most important to New York,” Vincentz said in an email.

“It’s absolutely zero coincidence that the person pushing this agenda at the Board of a Elections is a political appointee of the Cuomo-Hochul administration,” Vincentz said.

Democrats point to several individuals whose roles, according to the complaint, indicate coordination between the super PACs and Zeldin.

Among them are John McLaughlin, Zeldin’s longtime pollster, who was paid by one of the PACs to cut a radio ad criticizing Hochul.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy