Embattled Albany County District Attorney David Soares held a Saturday press conference about controversial bonus money he has accepted during his time in office.
In February, Soares announced he would return a $23,000 salary bonus he gave himself from a state grant — which had led to calls for his resignation. Soares told the county legislature's Audit & Finance and Law committees he'd give the money back. Over the weekend, he declared he had done so.
Speaking at a vacant lot in West Hill, Soares labelled the bonus controversy "a collected effort to distract the people of Albany County from discussing what is really important right now."
“And that is crime and violence," Soares said. "And to that end, the Comptroller of Albany County had sent out a report indicating the unlawful acceptance of dollars in a one-time bonus, which she sent referrals to a variety of different agencies. At the time where all these allegations were being made, I stated emphatically that what we were dealing with here was a political hit. And I would return those dollars so that we wouldn't be distracted by the scandal.”
County Comptroller Sue Rizzo, whose office launched the investigation into Soares' bonus, did not return a call for comment in time for broadcast.
Soares says the focus should be redirected to public safety in Albany County.
Soares' opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary, Lee Kindlon, lost the 2012 race to Soares, who is now running for a sixth four-year term. Soares lost the expected endorsement of the Albany County Democratic Party over the salary bonus issue. Kindlon, who has secured the endorsement of the progressive New York Working Families Party, says the D.A. "took all this money and got caught," and since has been looking for a scapegoat.
"First he blamed his employees for giving him the idea," SAid Kindlon. "And then he blamed this grand political conspiracy from [County Executive] Dan McCoy and Sue Rizzo. It's his inability to recognize how he can't be held accountable for these things. The theft of money is one thing. But then you look at all the other problems plaguing his administration, the retail theft problem, the violent crime problem, the experienced prosecutors leaving his office, somehow none of it is his fault. And he always has some other thing to blame. It's always somebody else's fault. You know, his, the way he deflects, the way he gaslights people, it's right outta Donald Trump's playbook."
Soares says it is the responsibility of state government to "fix" discovery laws, bail reform and "raise the age," while public attention is being diverted to his longevity bonus.
"Which I did not ask for, but have been receiving for the better part of 25 years, as I've been in service to this county for. If you needed any more evidence about the coincidental, and the political nature of these allegations, look no further than the Comptroller's desire now to acquire those dollars. And I'm going to say this emphatically so we don't have to dwell on it. Those dollars will not be returned. If they want those dollars returned, then they need to go and collect them from every single elected official, including my predecessors, one of whom, who is alive and the others who has an estate," Soares said.
WAMC News intern J.T. Stone contributed to this report.
