The first day of Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin’s trial has ended.
The Republican has rejected calls to resign after New York Attorney General Tish James alleged he stole thousands of dollars in campaign contributions while serving in the state Assembly in November 2017. McLaughlin, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, has called the two felony charges brought by the AG’s office “nonsense.” James’ office says it "follows the facts of every single case, and the fact here is that Steve McLaughlin was indicted for breaking the law and violating the public’s trust.”
WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas was in Rensselaer County Court for the first day of arguments on Tuesday and spoke with WAMC's Jim Levulis.
The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
