County Exec. Astorino accuses Gov. Cuomo of improperly using Sandy funds for ads

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo of improperly using money earmarked for Sandy victims. In a new video, the gubernatorial hopeful claims commercials promoting

News 12 Staff

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Jul 9, 2014, 1:35 AM

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Updated 3,743 days ago

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo of improperly using money earmarked for Sandy victims.

In a new video, the gubernatorial hopeful claims commercials promoting New York are really just Cuomo campaign ads. Astorino says the money used for the ads could have gone to storm victims.

Astorino claims some of the disaster aid was sidetracked by Cuomo to produce and air commercials promoting the state for tourism and business.

Peter Kauffman, a spokesman for Cuomo's campaign, calls Astorino's accusations "pathetic" and "baseless."

"The federal government approved funds for advertising to promote tourism in counties devastated by storm damage," he says. "This was not money for victims or diverted from victims."

Astorino has not said that the governor violated any laws. Gov. Cuomo never personally appears in the tourism ads, which would violate state ethics rules.