ALBANY – Time appears to be running out on criminally-charged Dean Skelos’ tenure as state Senate majority leader.
Skelos’ members gave him a vote of confidence on Monday night, just hours after he and his son were hit with federal corruption charges by hard-driving U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
But few expect that support to hold much longer despite his defiance on Tuesday.
Some of Skelos’ Republican members on Tuesday reiterated their belief he should step down. Others were hardly enthusiastic in their support.
Hammond: Dean Skelos knew Preet Bharara was on the hunt and still engaged in brazen behavior
Sen. Catharine Young, a Cattaraugus County Republican who is considered a possible successor, said only “yes” when asked if she still supports Skelos. She refused to elaborate.
Sen. Joseph Robach (R-Rochester) wouldn’t say whether he personally still supports Skelos.
“The position of the conference at this point in time is the conference stands behind the leader,” Robach said.
Meanwhile, one prominent Republican said a number of upstate senators, particularly from western New York, could soon break ranks and call for Skelos to step aside.
Skelos has privately vowed to stay on, at least until the end of the legislative session next month, insiders say. Conceivably, the votes might not be there to oust him. But if a significant portion want him gone, it could fracture the normally unified GOP conference.
“Dean was pretty brazen when he met with the conference,” one source said. “He said he is going to fight this. He said he’s going to win – that ‘we’re going to show Preet Bharara.'”
But as Assemblyman Sheldon Silver found out after many of his members voiced their support for him after he was charged by Bharara earlier this year in a separate criminal case, things can change quickly.
Silver’s members went home, had time to digest the charges against their leader and hear from their constituents and local media. Within a week, they told him he had to go.
“This is going to be history repeating itself,” said one Senate Republican of Skelos’ situation. “You know exactly what’s going to happen.”
