Dems Slam Wilson’s Wall Street Ties
Republican state comptroller candidate Harry Wilson is in town today to highlight what his campaign calls the “fiscally reckless” pension fund borrowing scheme that is the “brainchild” of his Democratic target, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
DiNapoli has insisted through a spokesman that he hasn’t yet signed off on what was initially reported as a tentative deal between legislative leaders, the governor and the comptroller, but the Times’ Danny Hakim noted the idea actually orginated with the comptroller’s office.
The task of defending DiNapoli has fallen to state Democratic Party Executive Director Charlie King, who put out a pre-press conference statement belittling Wilson as “Hedge Fund Harry” and slamming him for his ties to Wall Street.
Wilson has sought to spin his Wall Street experience as an asset despite widespread negative public opinion about the financial industry in the wall of multiple government-funded bailouts and bonus scandals.
Clearly, the Democrats aren’t going to let him do so unchallenged.
“Someone needs to tell Harry Wilson that, after Wall Street brought our economy to its knees, no New Yorker buys the idea that a flashy Wall Street résumé means you’re a prudent, long-term investor,” King said.
“Hedge Fund Harry needs to abandon his run-and-hide approach to campaigning: running on his self-proclaimed financial abilities, while hiding the details of his Wall Street past and personal fortune.”
“If he wants New Yorkers to trust him with their pensions, Hedge Fund Harry needs to come clean with New Yorkers about how he earned his fat paychecks, how he invests his own money, and how he performed when he was gambling with others people’s money,” King continued.
“Until then, New Yorkers have every right to ask ‘exactly who is Hedge Fund Harry?’ Don’t hedge, Harry. Come clean.”
King wants Wilson to release his tax returns, which DiNapoli has done. (Wilson sought an extension).
This is not, for the record, a legal requirement. But it is traditional for candidates and incumbents to do so, and a time-honored method of slamming your opponent if he or she won’t play ball.
For example, AG Andrew Cuomo recently released details of his personal finances to the WSJ’s Jacob Gershman to bring attention to the fact that one of his GOP opponents, Rick Lazio, hasn’t done the same.
King also called on Wilson to “correct the record by disclosing how much investor value you lost or gained” during his last three years at the “vulture fund” Silver Point Capital.
Wilson’s campaign has rejected a Post report in July 2009 that Wilson was forced out of Silver Point due to poor performance, saying he left to spend more time with his family and pursue a career in public service through his run for comptroller.
The Dems are also trying to make an issue of Wilson’s time at Goldman Sachs, despite the fact that he was at the firm for just two years over a decade ago.
King noted Goldman was recently accused of fraud by the SEC in its trading of Collateralized Debt Obligations and related derivatives in the lead-up to the financial collapse, ading: “Were you involved with trading CDOs or the other derivatives credited with causing the financial meltdown either at Goldman Sachs or at any of your hedge fund jobs?”
| Print article | This entry was posted by Liz Benjamin on June 21, 2010 at 11:36 am, and is filed under Comptroller, Democrats, Harry Wilson, Tom DiNapoli. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
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