US Attorney Subpoenas Communications Between Assistant To Moreland Executive Director And Cuomo And His Aides

What do you make of this news?

Federal prosecutors investigating Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s shutdown of an anticorruption commission have subpoenaed the assistant to its former executive director to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan, suggesting that the criminal inquiry has moved to a new stage, people briefed on the matter said on Thursday.

Federal agents served the subpoena on the assistant, Heather Green, on Wednesday morning, appearing at her doorstep before 7 a.m., the people said. Ms. Green, who is not believed to be a target of the inquiry, worked as an executive assistant to the anticorruption panel’s former executive director, Regina Calcaterra, until Mr. Cuomo announced he was disbanding the panel, known as the Moreland Commission, on March 29.

The subpoena, according to two people who have seen it or been briefed on its contents, asked for documents and correspondence, including any communications with Mr. Cuomo and his senior aides. It also directed Ms. Green to appear July 28 to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan, the people said.

Separately, Mylan L. Denerstein, counsel to the governor, has agreed to be interviewed in early August by federal prosecutors about her involvement with the panel, one of the people said.

...

The direction of Mr. Bharara’s criminal inquiry remains unclear, but it appears to be focused on whether shuttering the panel, or any actions before it, interfered with any prospective federal investigations.

It was not immediately clear how Ms. Green’s testimony fit into the criminal inquiry. While news reports have disclosed that several subpoenas had already been served in connection with the investigation, all of those were for documents and other materials, not for testimony.

In short, Preet Bharara appears to be doing just what he said he would - looking to see if there was any interference from the executive branch - ie., the Cuomo administration and Cuomo himself - into the workings of the Moreland Commission.

Given that we know from news accounts that the Cuomo administration tried to put the kibbosh on subpoenas that the Moreland Commission wanted to send to his donors, I bet Preet won't have to dig to hard to find Cuomo interference.

The question becomes, how far does Preet dig and what does he do with what he finds?

More later.