Online News Probes Intern Affairs
New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt has been caught by the online news site PoliticsNY.net. He stands accused of having affairs with two different interns while serving in the State Assembly. Later reports from old media seem to show that they were adults, though still state employees.
Powerful politician, state employees in their early twenties. Hmmm… Misconduct? Sexual harassment? If I had done it in a private sector business, it would be. Goose and gander, Sam, goose and gander.
Recently, accusations and slurs have been made online about my personal life; and like a lot of things on the Internet, much of it is false.
Here’s what is true. Several years ago, my wife and I had a difficult time in our marriage. Since that time, my wife Connie and I have worked hard to put this behind us, and believe the episode to be a painful but private matter best left in the past.
While my past actions were unfortunate, and for which I have expressed to my family my sincere apology, one blogger has alleged that official rules or laws were broken. That simply is not true.
It’s sad that my political opponents have chosen to resort to the lowest tactics by dredging up a private matter from years ago just 21 days before an election. The timing is no accident. They would rather wallow in this type of politics than debate the challenges that face our community. I am disappointed, but frankly, not all that surprised given the players involved.
I leave this in the voters’ hands. It’s my view that the people of Buffalo and Grand Island face more pressing issues than this. My family, who are more important to me than anything, has gone through a great deal to put this in the past where it belongs. We ask only for the privacy that any other family would be granted under these circumstances — nothing more, nothing less.
What in the Sam Hoyt?!? reports:
Last year, before the self-destruction of Sam’s good friend Eliot Spitzer, another local Assemblyman was pinched for violating the Assembly’s rules on fraternization.
Mike Cole (R-Alden) of the 142nd District, was censured for just spending the night at an intern’s apartment as he claimed he was too drunk to drive and slept on her floor.
Reports stated that Assemblyman Cole had been attending a get together at an Albany Bar to watch a Buffalo Sabres playoff game. What many reports don’t state, was that the get together was organized by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt.
I’m not trying to blame Sam for Mike Cole’s indescretions, what I’m trying to do it illustrate the Albany culture that after 16 years Assemblyman Hoyt has become a part of and in fact promoted.
The Buffalo News is reporting that they were adults, not interns.
Two women believed to have been romantically linked to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt were adults and not interns when they were allegedly involved with the married legislator, according to records from the Assembly and the state comptroller’s office obtained by The Buffalo News.
The information, which could exonerate Hoyt of legal or rule violations, came as an Assembly ethics committee with broad investigatory powers began a lightning-fast probe into the allegations against the eight-term assemblyman, just weeks before a crucial primary election.
The Buffalo Bean has more.
Oh, yeah. Democrat.
This just shows the power of blogs and new media.
Thanks for illustrating that they’re on the cutting edge of reporting.