BUFFALO (WBEN) - New York Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy is calling on Assemblymembers Monica Wallace and Karen McMahon to relinquish their roles as members of the Judiciary Committee due to a "breach of ethical conduct."
Langworthy pointed to the Buffalo News report that surfaced earlier this week, that members of the Western New York delegation attended a dinner at the governor's mansion, and Langworthy believes the two should have recused themselves from the event.
"It was revealed by the Buffalo News that there was a secret dinner at the Governor's Mansion earlier this month where they sat there and had a lovely evening with the governor, someone they are supposed to be investigating, right now," said Langworthy. "This is an outrageous breach of ethical conduct and a blatant conflict of interest - there's no other way to slice it."
The Buffalo News report outlined a dinner that focused on infrastructure priorities in Western New York.
McMahon issued this statement: "The remarks made this morning by GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy were nothing less than a shameless attempt to conjure up a political controversy where none exists. Earlier this month, the WNY legislative delegation of Assembly Members and Senators was invited to the Governor's Mansion for a dinner meeting to discuss how to allocate billions of dollars of anticipated infrastructure funding for projects in Western New York. I attended that meeting, along with the others, to ensure that the residents of Amherst and Pendleton, my constituents, had a voice in those discussions. I was together with other members of the WNY delegation at all times. At no time was there any mention whatsoever of my membership on the Judiciary Committee or of the impeachment investigation.
Wallace issued this statement: "Party boss Nick Langworthy's allegations of impropriety are baseless political nonsense. There is nothing improper about my attending a meeting with other members of the Western New York delegation to discuss critical infrastructure needs and ensure my community has a seat at the table. My job is to advocate for my community, and I was doing just that. Absenting myself from this important meeting would have left my community without a say in how billions of infrastructure dollars might be spent. I'm not interested in playing politics; I'm interested in delivering vital resources for my constituents."
