Edited by: TJVNews.com
In a strange turn of events, it has been reported that New York State Attorney General Letitia James has recused herself from the ParCare vaccination probe “to avoid even an appearance of conflict,” her office told The Post.
State officials told the Post that James’ office will still conduct an investigation as to whether ParCare Community Health Network “fraudulently” obtained 2,300 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, however James herself will have “zero involvement.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo referred the case to James’ office after he and New York State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker accused ParCare of misrepresenting itself as a “qualified health center” to obtain the vaccine from the state Health Department, according to the NY Post report.
ParCare operates four Brooklyn clinics, one in upstate Kiryas Joel and another in Harlem, according to the Post report.
ParCare has denied any wrongdoing and said it administered 869 of 2,300 doses of the vaccine that it received and gave back the remainder along with documentation “regarding the proper receipt of the vaccines,” according to the Post report.
The report indicated that James is friendly with ParCare CEO Gary Schlesinger, who has repeatedly endorsed her political aspirations throughout the years.
Having met Schlesinger through her years as a Brooklyn City Councilwoman and during the time she served as the New York City Public Advocate, he has offered public endorsements of her various political campaigns.
James’ spokeswoman said in a statement to the Post, ““In order to avoid even an appearance of conflict, the Attorney General has personally recused herself from this matter.”
The Post reported that at a 2015 Democratic Party fund-raiser at Junior’s restaurant in downtown Brooklyn, Schlesinger was smiling broadly in a photograph alongside James.
In January of 2016, a photo of Schlesinger, James and the executive team of ParCare was posted on his Facebook page, as was reported by the Post. The caption under the photograph said, “catching up with the energetic NYC Public Advocate Letitia James to discuss healthcare needs of Brooklyn’s underserved communities.”
Schlesinger called James the “future NYC mayor” in a 2017 photo that he posted of himself and James and described it as “celebrating last night with my friend,” according to the Post report.
Rather than running for mayor of New York City in 2018, James ran for the position of Attorney General. The Post reported that Schlesinger reportedly was involved in operating a PAC to help her get elected, as he was a key supporter of her campaign, according to the Post.
Exhorting people in New York to cast their votes for James for Attorney General in a series of messages on Facebook, Schlesinger said, “I endorse Tish James, who is devoted to fair justice for all and religious liberty which is why I join Jewish community leaders and advocates to endorse her,” as was reported by The Post.
Officials at the Attorney General’s office said that James has a broad network of friends who are political and community leaders in Brooklyn, according to the Post. They added that her relationship with Schlesinger will not compromise the probe.
James’ spokesperson told the Post that “our office will follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead.”
