Larry Schwartz, a longtime aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the administration’s current “vaccine czar”, has been calling Democrats to gauge their loyalty, The Washington Post reports.
The aide worked as a secretary for Mr Cuomo from 2011 to 2015. Then last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, he volunteered to rejoin the administration to assist with Covid-19 vaccine distribution for the state.
Now Mr Schwartz has filled the role of being a “political operative” for the Democratic governor at a time when he’s embroiled in scandal.
An unnamed Democratic local executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Washington Post, reported to the state’s attorney general office about a potential ethics violation on Friday after he received a phone call from Mr Schwartz.
The phone call reportedly involved Mr Schwartz asking the official if they planned to publicly support Mr Cuomo, stressing the importance of the state’s ongoing investigation. But it left the executive concerned if their response could impact their area’s vaccine supply.