New York state Republicans are calling for the U.S. district attorney to investigate Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for “abusing the power of his office for political gain.”
“Another day, and more evidence Eric Schneiderman is using the Office of the Attorney General for political purposes,” state GOP Chairman Edward Cox said in a statement after Schneiderman appealed to a liberal billionaire to finance a potential 2018 gubernatorial run.
The New York Post obtained emails showing Schneiderman reaching out to former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer in March — about four months after Schneiderman began investigating ExxonMobil for allegedly misleading investors about the risks of global warming.
Steyer, a major funder of environmental causes and an Exxon critic, spent more than $73 million in the 2014 election cycle supporting Democratic candidates and opposing Republicans.
Schneiderman also wanted to talk to Steyer about his ongoing Exxon investigation, which is being pushed by environmentalists who want to see the company punished like the tobacco industry.
Cox said the emails show Schneiderman, “sought to leverage his investigation of ExxonMobil to secure support from billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer in his potential run for higher office.”
Cox also cited Schneiderman’s unwillingness to force the Clinton Foundation to disclose its foreign donors in state tax filings as part of a, “long and disturbing pattern of abusing the power of his office for political gain.” In contrast, Schneiderman just launched a probe into the Trump Foundation.
