NEW YORK—Gov. Andrew Cuomo is defending a former aide and campaign manager who is under federal investigation.
Joseph Percoco was the Democratic governor’s executive secretary until early January. In 2014, he took a leave of absence from government to work for Cuomo’s campaign and for companies that did business with the state.
“I’m saying I’ve known Joe Percoco for many years and he’s a good man and I'd be shocked if he did anything wrong, but let’s get the facts and then we can make our own decisions,” Cuomo said Monday night after attending the Association for a Better New York’s annual Spirit of ABNY Awards in Manhattan.
“He was a consultant to my campaign during the time he was gone. He told me he might accept other consulting contracts. He then came back to state service after the campaign,” Cuomo said. “When he came back to state service obviously he stopped representing those other clients.”
Messages seeking comment from Percoco and his lawyer were not immediately returned.
