Sampson Defends 'Legal' Leak in Aqueduct Deal

Dem defends 'legal' leak in the Aqueduct
The New York Post By BRENDAN SCOTT in Albany and CARL CAMPANILE in NY - June 19, 2010

State Senate Democratic leader John Sampson yesterday insisted he did nothing wrong by leaking two Senate documents to the lobbyist for the politically connected firm that wound up winning the contract to run video slots at Aqueduct Racetrack. "The documentation that was given to Mr. [Carl] Andrews was documentation that was not private, not confidential," Sampson said. "I know what private and confidential documents are. I know what insider information is. I don't engage in anything like that," he said. Sampson gave the memos dated Sept. 30 and Nov. 12 to Brooklyn political chum Carl Andrews, who was the lobbyist for the Aqueduct Entertainment Group at the time. Sampson and Andrews had once served together in the Senate representing adjacent Brooklyn districts. Andrews was also once an aide to Gov. Paterson. The documents provided a Senate analysis of the bids submitted by six firms -- including AEG and its rivals. Rival bidders said they had not seen the memos that Sampson gave Andrews. In a rare and lengthy interview with Albany reporters yesterday, Sampson confirmed The Post's exclusive report that he gave the documents to Andrews -- but insisted it was not a breach. Sampson said he first voluntarily disclosed giving the Senate memos to Andrews in testimony to the state Inspector General's Office, which is investigating accusations of favoritism and bid-rigging surrounding the 30-year, multibillion-dollar award to AEG. After an outcry, Paterson's office killed the AEG deal. Sampson said he did not provide the memos to other interested bidders. He said he only gave the documents to Andrews after the two had a heated exchange over the Aqueduct bidding. He said he told Andrews that the Senate "was not considering" AEG because its initial bid ranked poorly in providing revenue to the state. Andrews disagreed. Sampson said he replied: "I said, 'You know. I'll prove my point to you.' . . . I said, 'Here's our analysis.' I said, 'Here's a copy if you want it. You can have it. It's not gospel.' " The Senate analysis contained what would appear to be sensitive information. It noted, for example, that the Lottery Division concluded that four of the bidders at the time -- Steve Wynn, Delaware North, SL Green/Hard Rock and Penn National Gaming -- cleared background checks and could obtain a gaming license. The Sept. 30 memo also noted that the Lottery Division had determined that two of AEG's key backers were "not licensable." Sampson insisted that giving the memos to Andrews did not give AEG the leg up. AEG investors included influential Queens preacher and former Rep. Floyd Flake and rap mogul Jay-Z. But the investigators with the IG's Office and other bidders have disagreed -- saying AEG's revised submission moved it from the bottom of state evaluations to the top. Sampson said he favored Wynn's "excellent" bid before the Las Vegas casino mogul backed out. But rival bidders said they did not buy Sampson's explanation -- noting that it was an open secret early on that the Senate leadership was behind AEG because of Flake's ties to Senate President Malcolm Smith. brendan.scott@nypost.com