For Immediate Release
March 30, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org   @cpnys

Statement from New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar

Brooklyn, NY – “To say New York is going to pot may be the understatement of the decade. Today’s legislation to create the ‘New York Office of Cannabis Management’ sounds like a bad joke. If only it were funny.

“Democrats in Albany, led by scandal-scarred Gov. Andrew Cuomo, know that legalizing recreational marijuana will come at significant human cost, but all they seem to care about is more tax revenue. Their indifference to human suffering is unconscionable.

“Study after study has shown that marijuana use among teens — make no mistake about it, teen use will go up — can cause significant psychological damage and lead to use of even more dangerous drugs. We also know that traffic injuries and fatalities will increase because of stoned drivers on our roads, and a percentage of first-time marijuana users will become addicts.

“We also know from other states that black-market drug sales actually increase after legalization, and those illicit drug pipelines often include counterfeit prescription pills and deadly narcotics like heroin and fentanyl. The cost of treating the addictions that will ensue from this legislation will likely cost far more than any revenue it would generate. Indeed, for every $1 of tax revenue in alcohol and tobacco tax revenues, society loses $10 in social costs according to SAM-Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

“Mark Twain said the darnedest thing: It’s easier to keep out of something than to get out of something. He was, of course, right, and Twain’s advice is our advice to the New York State Legislature. Keep out of the drug business. It will not end well.”

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Legislative Memo issued to the full NYS Legislature

For Immediate Release
March 25, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

STATEMENT FROM NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CHAIRMAN GERARD KASSAR 

“Governing is About Serving the Public, Not Yourself”

“The aggravating news about Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t letting up.

“Now we learn that New York’s chief executive arranged special privileges for family members and close colleagues in the early days of Covid testing — around the time he was penning a book on Covid leadership (after cooking the books on nursing home deaths under his watch) that has reportedly reaped him more than one million dollars.

“When we hear about arrogance in government — when we hear about naked abuses of power — these are the types of things we are talking about.

“That arrogance, in Mr. Cuomo’s case, has seemingly extended itself into predatory sexual behavior against random New Yorkers and members of his own staff.

“Albany, we have a problem.”

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For Immediate Release
March 15, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org  @cpnys

Despite Infusion of Washington’s Cash; Democrats in NYS Plan Nearly $7 Billion in New Taxes on New Yorkers                                                 Statement by Chairman Gerard Kassar

 Brooklyn, NY — The Democrat controlled New York State Legislature, despite the infusion of fresh federal aid to NY ($12.6 B directly to state coffers) is poised to pass one-house bills that include a massive tax increase on businessmen and the wealthy; a 22.6% increase in spending over last year; 10.5% more than Governor Cuomo’s proposal.

Increasing the taxes on businesses and the wealthy will only further the exodus that has steadily increased over the past 10 years.  New York state cannot afford any additional losses.  This impractical plan will end up costing every New Yorker.  Spending is the problem.  If these Bills are enacted, the Democratic-controlled Legislature is shouting that New York is closed for business and encouraging New Yorkers to move to a state where they have better control over the money they earn.

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For Immediate Release
March 12, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

STATEMENT FROM NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CHAIRMAN GERARD KASSAR

“Lt. Governor Hochul Should Be Included in All Key State Matters to Ensure Continuity of Government”

Brooklyn, NY – “Andrew Cuomo’s tenure as governor could abruptly come to an end, and it’s critically important that Lt. Governor Kathleen Hochul be fully immersed in all state government matters, down to the granular level, in case such an eventuality takes place. Continuity of government in the midst of significant challenges must be ensured. That doesn’t appear to be the case today, based on the Lt. Governor’s public schedule.

“Lt. Governor Hochul should immediately and significantly be included in the state budget negotiations with Senate and Assembly leadership, Covid vaccine rollout planning, federal relief negotiations with the Biden Administration, and other core state operations. Governor Cuomo, whose position as governor appears untenable, should make that happen today. The state must be fully ready for whatever comes next.”

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For Immediate Release
March 5, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

CONSERVATIVE PARTY CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ALL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN CROWN PUBLISHING AND GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, HIS AGENTS AND THE ADMINISTRATION

Brooklyn – March 5…The New York State Conservative Party today called for the immediate release of communications between Crown Publishing, Governor Andrew Cuomo, his agents, and members of his administration leading up to the publication of Mr. Cuomo’s New York Times best-seller book “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” (Oct. 2020, Crown.)

The core premise of “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” was Mr. Cuomo’s purported successful management of Covid-19 in New York State. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are now reporting that Mr. Cuomo and members of his administration altered an official New York State Department of Health report to falsely embellish Mr. Cuomo’s image as an efficacious governor in the depths of a public health crises at the very same time that Mr. Cuomo was negotiating his book deal.

“Today’s news reports raise an obvious question: Would Crown Publishing have invested in Governor Cuomo’s book had they known the full extent of the nursing home deaths caused by the governor’s misguided policies?,” asked Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar. “And did Governor Cuomo and members of his administration work to bury the true numbers in an effort to seal the book deal? The public needs answers to these questions, and the governor and Crown can begin by releasing the communications between them.”

The Conservative Party has previously asked Governor Cuomo to make immediately public the profits he received from his book, and questioned whether the facts Mr. Cuomo concealed fostered a false narrative required for the book’s publishing. Governor Cuomo has refused to address these questions.

“If the truth had been known about the nursing home deaths in the autumn of 2020, it’s hard to believe that Crown would have moved forward with ‘American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic’” Mr. Kassar continued. “So the question remains: Did Governor Cuomo hide the true nursing home death toll for personal financial benefit, and, if so, exactly how much money did he make from that lie? The public deserves to know.”

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For Immediate Release
March 4, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org  @cpnys

NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: ‘FOR THE POLITICIANS ACT’ MUST BE DEFEATED IN THE SENATE
Omnibus Democrat Incumbency Protection Bill (HR1/S1) Would Inhibit Free Speech; Partisanize the FEC; Create Welfare-for-Politicians 
“Anyway You Look At This Bill It Screams ‘Big Brother.’”  

Brooklyn – March 4…The New York State Conservative Party today called on members of the U.S Senate to defeat overreaching and unconstitutional legislation pushed through the House of Representatives in a razor thin party-line vote on Wednesday that would usurp the sacrosanct rights of states to control their elections processes, force taxpayers to assume the costs of congressional elections, and strip Americans of their right to confidentiality in furthering political speech, among other things.

“HR1/S1 isn’t about protecting the rights of voters,” Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar said, “it’s about seizing control of our time-tested state election processes to benefit the Democratic Party. This massive federal overreach would politically weaponize the Federal Election Commission (FEC), a traditionally bipartisan commission, and force taxpayers to pay for the re-elections of career politicians. It would further discourage Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights by abolishing privacy laws that protect them from the left’s pernicious cancel culture tactics. Anyway you look at this bill it screams ‘Big Brother.’”

Provisions in the massive HR1/S1 bill include:

• Forcing taxpayers to subsidize congressional campaigns;
• Changing the FEC from a six-member, bipartisan commission into a partisan five-member commission controlled by a sitting President and unilaterally capable of creating new regulations without the input of Congress;
• Compelling individuals to disclose what causes they support, subjecting them to potential harassment and thereby reducing political speech;
• Forcing not-for-profits, issue advocacy groups, and organizations they support to publicly declare whether they support or oppose any candidate that appears in their materials, and
• Dramatically increasing the cost of online political speech — aka suppressing it — by eliminating the FEC’s longstanding internet exemption.

“Every time the Democrats seize power in Washington, they attempt a massive federal overreach,” Chairman Kassar continued. “This time they are going after free speech itself — our nation’s First Amendment rights — and the American people will not stand for it. This cynically misnamed omnibus bill, the so-called ‘For the People Act’ is anything but. The proper title for this legislation should be the “For the Politicians Act’, and it must be summarily rejected in the Senate.”

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For Immediate Release
February 23, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

 Statement by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar  “The public deserves to know now how much Gov. Cuomo profited from best-selling COVID-19 book.” 

Brooklyn, NY – “‘American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic’ (Crown, 2o20), Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (semi-fictional) New York Times best-seller, presumably made the governor a tidy profit. The public deserves to know the exact amount now, as questions about his handling of COVID-19 are squarely in the public eye.

“To profit from such a human catastrophe in the first place — after potentially fatal mistakes were made by him and his administration — raises significant questions about Mr. Cuomo’s judgement. He should report how much he made at the first possible opportunity to the people who gave him his job.

“The governor is currently delaying release of the profit figure until May, when his next financial disclosure statement is due. That’s not good enough. The man who once promised to be the most transparent governor in history needs to be transparent now.”

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For Immediate Release
February 16. 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

DID ANDREW CUOMO COMMIT FRAUD FOR BOOK PROFITS?   Statement by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar 

Brooklyn, NY  – “Governor Andrew Cuomo’s best-selling book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic” (Crown, 2020), was written under false pretenses, it has now been made clear. That begs the question: ‘Did Andrew Cuomo purposely mislead editors and readers — falsely establishing him himself as a COVID-19 leadership whiz — in order to make the maximum amount of money for himself through book sales?

“If the Governor knowingly misled editors and readers for remunerative benefit, he may have committed fraud. It’s a serious question that needs to be looked into by an independent investigator.”

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For Immediate Release
February 12, 2021
Contact:  Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org   @cpnys

 Statement by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar  on Growing Cuomo Nursing Home Death Scandal 

“Andrew Cuomo has been caught in a lie of dastardly dimension.” 

 Brooklyn,  NY – “Governor Cuomo’s cover up of nursing home deaths was a concerted scheme orchestrated at the very top level of his administration, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa has now confirmed, and the governor’s blatant deceit is now laid bare for all to see.

“We have said before that an honorable governor would resign his position over a revelation of this magnitude, and we reiterate it now. How this governor can continue holding his position after such scandalous behavior has been revealed is beyond the comprehension of anyone of good will. Andrew Cuomo has been caught in a lie of dastardly dimension.

“It’s crystal clear that Governor Cuomo and his highest appointed official, Secretary DeRosa, along with New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, among others, formed a clique within state government dedicated to burying the awful truth about preventable nursing home deaths. The pain they have caused families of the deceased, and the disgrace they have brought upon the State of New York through their scheme, is indefensible.

“What’s more indefensible, still, is Governor Cuomo’s refusal to hold himself accountable for his actions. Like we said, an honorable governor would resign.”

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For Immediate Release
February 9, 2021
Contact: Shaun Marie
518-356-7882
www.cpnys.org @cpnys

CUOMO FATIGUE: STATEMENT FROM NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY CHAIRMAN GERARD KASSAR 

Brooklyn, NY — “Almost half of New York State voters (47%) indicated in a Zogby poll released today that it’s time for someone new to serve as the state’s next governor. These survey numbers come as no surprise to millions of New Yorkers who have watched New York fall further and further behind other states economically under Governor Andrew Cuomo. Even voters who have supported Governor Cuomo in the past now say it’s time for him to go, the Zogby poll reveals. Mr. Cuomo’s scandalous behavior in covering up thousands of nursing home deaths, recently uncovered by New York’s Democrat Attorney General, also demonstrated an arrogance of power that voters won’t put up with indefinitely.

“The Conservative Party is speaking with several strong and viable potential candidates for the 2022 gubernatorial race, each of whom could offer New Yorkers fresh new leadership to move this state and it’s economy forward for a change. The race is just around the corner, and we’ll be ready for it.”

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