November 29, 2017

For Immediate Release

STATEMENT FROM STEVEN MCLAUGHLIN IN RESPONSE TO ALLEGED VIOLATIONS RELEASED BY ROGUE

NY ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE

In what can only be described as a pathetic political hit job, a despicable element the New York State
Assembly sunk to a new low when it used its Committee on Ethics and Guidance as a political weapon to
release untrue, baseless and legally infirm allegations against me in an attempt to negatively impact my
career as a public servant.

First, I categorically deny that I engaged in any sexual misconduct or violated any Assembly policy. After
fully participating in the initial committee process on thIS identical issue, I received a letter from the
Assembly dated June 23, 2017, in which this Committee sent a letter to the Assembly Speaker stating
that there was no finding of a violation of any Assembly policy (see attached letter). Despite this
finding from several months ago, the renegade committee engaged in this unlawful conduct, which was
in my view illegal.

As any lawmaker or their legal counsel should understand, New York Civil Rights Law section 73 is a
McCarthy Era statute that is designed to protect the rights of any person who is subjected to an inquiry
from a government committee that might illegally wield its power to defame and bully citizens, and leak
information. The actions of this committee and its legal counsel are in my view exactly the kind of illegal
conduct the law was designed to prevent. Nonetheless, it appears the committee knowingly violated the
law.

Prior to this renegade committees actions, several weeks ago, on October 31, 2017, I instructed my
attorney to report this potential criminal conduct to the Office of the Albany County District Attorney.
This complaint is based on a violation of New York State Civil Rights Law section 73, a misdemeanor, a
law designed to protect citizens from having their reputations ruined by wayward government
committees.

Together with this media statement, in addition to the letter from the Assembly confirming there was
no finding of sexual misconduct, I am also publicly releasing my sworn statement to the Committee and
the letter sent last month from my attorney to District Attorney Soares (see attached).

Throughout my entire career I have not been shy to speak truth to power and battle for the people
against deeply entrenched interests in Albany. I fully understood that by doing so, the entire weight of
government power would come down on someone like me. However, I have never been deterred and I
will not be deterred now. And, I will continue to speak truth to power -- louder than ever -- in my new
role as the Rensselaer County Executive.
Frankly, thanks to the support of a majority of the citizens of Rensselaer County, I am especially excited
to go to work for them and leave behind the deeply and perhaps hopelessly corrupted New York State
government.

It is my sincere hope that by shining a light on this situation, and previously reporting this situation to
District Attorney Soares, that he and other law enforcement officials will actively investigate and start to
restore trust in government in the State of New York. For this, the road ahead is very long, but let it
start today.