Silver Will Speak Before Lobby Panel
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ALBANY – Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is to testify under oath on Tuesday before the state Lobbying Commission about his disputed two night stay at a Las Vegas hotel owned by a company seeking to build a casino in the Catskills.
The commission is not directly accusing Mr. Silver of any wrongdoing. Rather, it is investigating whether the company, Caesars Entertainment, gave him an illegal gift by charging him $109 a night for a luxury suite that lists for $1,500.
State law forbids lobbyists and their clients from giving officials anything worth more than $75.
Mr. Silver initially resisted the commission’s subpoena, but recently agreed to testify. He will answer questions at a commission meeting at Albany, according to the executive director, David Grandeau.
The deposition promises to be a dramatic confrontation between Mr. Silver, the most powerful Democrat in state government, and Mr. Grandeau, a Republican with a reputation for aggressiveness.
This is apparently the first time an elected official has been required to testify before the commission in its 27-year history.
Mr. Grandeau said Caesars Entertainment was not cooperating ” so we have no choice but to go to Mr. Silver.”
A lawyer for Caesars, James Featherstonhaugh, said Mr. Grandeau has made unreasonable demands. “The clear purpose of Mr. Grandeau’s insistence on the speaker’s appearance is just theater,” he said.
Mr. Silver’s office declined to comment. Mr. Silver stayed at the Paris Las Vegas hotel for two nights in January 2002 during what he described as a vacation with his wife. Hotel officials deny giving Mr. Silver special treatment.