Letter: Democratic AG Candidates Would Misuse Office

Dear Editor:

This Thursday, September 13th there are Democrat and Reform Party Primary Elections for NYS
Attorney General. When voting Thursday and in November, please remember what the responsibilities
of this office are and what they are not. For 16 ½ years I worked for the NYS Attorney General Office,
for Robert Abrams (D), G. Oliver Koppell (D), Dennis Vacco (R), and Eliot Spitzer (D). Back then, the AG’s
Office fulfilled its obligations to the People of the State of New York. In addition to defending state
agencies that are sued, we fought for New Yorkers against elder fraud, consumer fraud and price
gouging, enforced the Lemon Law, Antitrust Laws and protected consumers from bad businesses,
including nursing homes and charities and assisted in landlord/tenant disputes. These are just some of
the responsibilities of the NYS Attorney General.

When I worked there, the Attorney General made sure that the prices of snow shovels and snow
blowers didn’t go up during a snow storm, or that the prices of air conditioners didn’t go up in heat
waves, that the price of generators or hotels didn’t rise during power outages and we would even
subpoena the rack prices of gasoline from Memorial Day to Labor Day to make sure the gas stations
weren’t price gouging in the summer, and the rack prices of oil from Labor Day to Memorial Day to
make sure the oil companies weren’t gouging in the winter time.

It is NOT the job of the NYS Attorney General to attack and undermine the President of the United
States, or any other duly elected official, and it is NOT the job of the Attorney General to send attorneys
paid by New York State taxpayers to the sites of day laborers to provide free legal advice, nor is it their
job to distribute guidelines for communities to create Sanctuary Cities that violate federal and state law
and refuse to cooperate with other law enforcement officials.

Never once in the 16 ½ years that I worked there did any of the above-named AG’s involve themselves in national politics or defy federal law. Instead, together we partnered with national organizations and the Office of the President to protect consumers. I was appalled when I called the office of Eric Schneiderman (D) and the telephone recording started with “Press 1 if you would like to file a complaint against President-elect (later
President) Donald Trump”. That is a blatant misuse of the office and taxpayers pay for that office and the salaries of everyone who works there.

I watched the Democrat NYSAG debate and all 4 candidates were very clear that they intend to continue the work of disgraced Eric Schneiderman (D), attacking and attempting to impeach the President. This November we must take back and restore integrity to the Office of the NYS Attorney General and make sure they fight for us as law-abiding, taxpaying, legal citizens of New York State, instead of wasting our money and abusing their powers.

Cindy M. Trimble

Cold Spring