Tedisco on Lt. Gov. Benjamin Arrest: “How Many Times Do New Yorkers Have to Watch This Movie?”

Senator Jim Tedisco

April 12, 2022

“Bribery is a serious crime and the Lt. Governor is an important leadership position who is one heartbeat away from becoming our state’s chief executive. The shocking arrest today of Governor Kathy Hochul’s hand-selected Lt. Governor 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. Governor 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 Governor Hochul’s mentor, the disgraced Andrew Cuomo.  This arrest also raises serious questions about Governor 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.”

"I'm calling on Lt. Governor Benjamin to resign. If Benjamin refuses to resign, he should NOT continue to preside over the state Senate Chamber during session."