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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Questions about whether campaign donors to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo benefited from his Buffalo Billion economic development initiative are highlighting the long and murky relationship between money and public policy in Albany.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (buh-RAH'-rah) is reportedly probing the project, which involved large state investments in efforts to jumpstart the high-tech economy in New York's second-largest city.
SUNY Polytechnic, which helped manage the initiative, has hired a Manhattan law firm but won't comment on the investigation. Cuomo has brushed off reports of the investigation, praising the Buffalo Billion's success and noting that recipients of state funds have long contributed to political campaigns.
Proving laws were broken in similar cases has proven difficult for prosecutors.
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