GOP Conference Sticks By Skelos as Majority Leader

After more than three hours, state Senate Republicans emerged from behind a closed-door conference to announce their continued support for state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

Skelos traveled to Albany Monday night to face members of his conference after surrendering and being arraigned on corruption charges.

State Sen. Ken LaValle told reporters there was a “strong consensus” to keep Skelos on as leader, but declined to say what Skelos told members during the conference.

"This conference strongly believes in [presumption of innocence]," Lavalle told reporters. "The leader has indicated that he would like to remain as leader and he has the support of the conference."

“We have a number of issues that we are going to address. We have five and a half weeks left in session and we are going to get focused as a conference with our leader in addressing all of those issues,” Lavalle added. 

Skelos' arrest comes only months after the Assembly underwent a similar upheaval when former Speaker Sheldon Silver was arrested on corruption charges. The Assembly Democrats, after initially voicing support for Silver, quickly forced the Manhattan Democrat to resign and installed Bronx Democrat Carl Heastie as speaker within a week. Both Silver and Skelos were investigated by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Preet Bharara.

The criminal complaint against Skelos and his son, Adam, outlines six counts as part of a scheme to repeatedly pressure one of the largest real estate developers in the state—reported by multiple outlets to be Glenwood Management—and an environmental technology company—said to be AbTech Industries—to direct money to Adam Skelos. In return, Dean Skelos allegedly used his position and influence as state Senate majority leader to push through legislation benefitting the companies.

A senior executive at the real estate development company and a senior executive at the environmental technology company have agreed to testify against Skelos and his son in exchange for a non-prosecution agreement. These two cooperating witnesses, along with other evidence, allege the companies made payments of more than $200,000 to Adam Skelos and also secured him a job at AbTech Industries in order to influence real estate legislation that was regularly before the Senate majority leader. The cooperating witnesses also allege Sen. Skelos would punish the developer if his son, Adam, was not taken care of.  

Skelos released a public statement Monday afternoon about his arrest:

“I am innocent of the charges leveled against me. I am not saying I am just not guilty, I am saying that I am innocent. I fully expect to be exonerated by a public jury trial,” he said.