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Attorney General Schneiderman .. and a Playboy Bunny!? Naah.

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Schneiderman donor Hope Smith

We are in the wake of another scandal with “Customer #9” AKA disgraced former Governor and ex-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. We’re never sure exactly when it’s over. But now the guy in one of 9’s old jobs has some ‘splaining to do, but in this case, despite appearances, it’s all pretty innocent.

Eric Schneiderman is a very popular, very competent NY State Attorney General.

The Tabloid headlines blare accurately, but not truthfully, that The A.G.’s number one financial contributor this year is a former Playboy Magazine Playmate of the Year.

So what’s the story? And how can something be accurate without being true.

Selective facts, my friends … selective facts

While it is true that the 2010 Playmate of the year officially contributed $65,100 to Schneiderman’s upcoming 2018 re-election campaign, the story gets more complex, and even more tame.

Hope Smith [née Dworaczyk] of Texas, on July 15th became the new bride of Robert Smith, founder of Vista Equity Partners. Robert has been a consistently generous supporter of the Attorney General, donating more than $150,000 over the last seven years.

The Smith’s do have a stake in New York and its well-being: after all, Vista Equity holds almost a billion dollars in investments from the New York Common Retirement Fund, a privately owned pension fund servicing police, firefighters and others. It manages pension funds as well as principle investments.

New York State has the third largest pension fund in the United States with $184.5 billion in audited net assets (March 31, 2015) held in trust for pension benefits.

In response to suspicions that Vista Equity Partners might be trying to forestall some investigation or prosecution, Schneiderman’s office responded that “Attorney General Schneiderman has fought throughout his career to combat fraud and provide New Yorkers the open and honest government they deserve, which is why he has prosecuted more than 70 corrupt officials and their cronies, proposed the most comprehensive set of ethics and campaign finance reforms the state has ever seen, and taken on some of the worst offenders on Wall Street,” It was also made clear that Schneiderman requires any would-be donor “to certify they and any and all entities they own or control have no matters currently pending before or recently resolved by his office.”

Alan E. Oirich

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