This week, Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C,I-Ballston) voted against pieces of legislation designed to allow Congress to obtain President Trump’s tax returns from the state (A.7194-A) and allow the New York Attorney General to prosecute individuals who received presidential pardons, regardless of double jeopardy, if certain conditions are met (A.6653).

“Presented under the guise of ‘transparency,’ these bills are actually serving as weapons in a much larger political witch hunt aimed at the Trump Administration, but if these pieces of legislation are signed into law, they could have more far-reaching consequences than what has been outlined by Majority members of the Senate and Assembly. To constrain executive power because the current holder of the office is unpopular to some is a very slippery slope,” said Walsh.

“For years our conference has put forward some extremely common-sense measures that would bring about transparency to our state, but instead of adopting those proposals, the Majority in both houses have chosen to pursue their vendetta against the current administration. Rather than getting involved with issues at the federal level, we should be addressing New York’s high taxes, outmigration, affordability and the day-to-day needs of New York families.”