Cuomo campaign gets $500K in taxpayer money as inquiry into super PAC ad continues

Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign clawed back more than $500,000 on Monday that had been withheld by the Campaign Finance Board as it continues to investigate whether the former governor illegally coordinated with a super PAC.

The city watchdog had initially withheld nearly $1.3 million from Cuomo’s campaign over an advertisement funded by the Fix the City super PAC. The penalty reflected the amount of money Fix the City initially said it spent on the advertisement that began airing last month. The super PAC then submitted new disclosures amending the cost, resulting in the board releasing $540,482 in public matching funds to Cuomo’s campaign.

“The filing was amended to reflect the actual amount spent,” Liz Benjamin, a spokesperson for Fix the City, said in an email.

Campaign Finance Board spokesperson Timothy Hunter said the agency’s investigation into Cuomo’s campaign over coordination with Fix the City is ongoing. The ad allegedly contained messaging pulled from Cuomo’s campaign website, a practice known as redboxing, which is prohibited in city campaigns. The board is still withholding $756,994 from Cuomo’s campaign, which counts as a penalty towards its $8 million spending limit.

The super PAC has received an unprecedented amount of money for a mayor’s race. So far, Fix the City has raised more than $10.7 million and spent $5.6 million in support of Cuomo’s mayoral bid.

Donors include billionaires – such as hedge fund manager and Trump supporter Bill Ackman, real estate titan Barry Diller, and William Lauder, chair of the Estee Lauder Companies and a frequent donor to conservative causes – as well as business interests, like DoorDash, which stand to benefit from a sympathetic ear in City Hall.

“We always said we were in full compliance with the law and look forward to receiving the full amount,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said.