ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) The federal prosecutor who won political corruption convictions of New York's two top lawmakers sees ``a deep problem of corruption in Albany,'' one that can flourish when people fear to blow the whistle on powerful leaders.
In a WNYC radio interview Monday, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara says the fraud and extortion convictions of ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Leader Dean Skelos also show the Legislature has done a poor job of self-policing.
He notes that Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Tony Avella testified at Skelos' trial that he was never permitted to advance a bill or even hold a hearing.
Bharara tells the New York Times the trials revealed how Skelos and Silver ``went about their daily corrupt business with barely a thought about it.
