Pro-Bruce Blakeman Super PAC accuses Kathy Hochul of pay-to-play corruption scheme in multi-million dollar ad

A Super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has launched a multi-million-dollar ad slamming Kathy Hochul for pay-to-play “corruption” after she promptly awarded a donor with a no-bid contract during the pandemic to buy COVID tests.The $637 million emergency deal given to Digital Gadgets came just days after its CEO Charles Tebele and other family members held a lavish fundraiser for Hochul ahead of her 2022 reelection.“Kathy Hochul’s corruption is the tax we all pay,” said the ad paid for by the Strong and Safe New York Super Pac, a group bankrolled by Knicks owner James Dolan and casino magnate Steve Wynn.“Exhibit A.She gave her friends a $637 million no-bid contract for COVID tests, paying more than double what others were charging.

And weeks before the deal, the CEO threw her a big fundraiser.The family ultimately shelled out more than $500,000 to Hochul’s machine.“Hochul gets rich, her friends get richer,” the ad’s narrator says.

“And we get the bill.”An image of Hochul appears with a mock $637 million check paid to a “Hochul donor” for a “No bid Covid contract.”The pro-Blakeman ad – costing $750,00 per week – is running on streaming services, paid social media and video texting to more than 1 million voters.It is scheduled to run until Election Day, Nov.

3, the group said.“Everything Kathy Hochul does raises costs on struggling New Yorkers, including her expensive and corrupt no-bid contracts,” a Strong and Safe spokesman said.“New Yorkers simply can no longer afford Kathy Hochul.”The ad revives reports by the Times Union that Hochul’s administration purchased 52 million COVID tests in 2022 from Digital Gadgets at roughly twice the price others paid, like California, for buying directly from a manufacturer — all while Tebele and family members funneled $300,000 to Hochul’s campaign.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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