“The arrest of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin today based on allegations of his involvement in a campaign finance fraud scheme is extremely disturbing.

“Corruption at the highest level of government in New York state is a pattern that needs to stop. Instead of a full vetting, Lt. Gov. Benjamin was appointed early in this administration without a complete investigation into his background and practices.

“The potential for abuse of this nature is precisely why the public financing of political campaigns is a bad idea.

“Once again, the citizens of our state must pay for the incompetent actions of so-called leaders who make decisions based on political gain instead of what is best for the state.”