Gov. Andrew Cuomo Admits to Committing and Continuing to Commit a Federal Crime—No Charges

 
Albany, NY — In the land of the free, the court and legal  systems, as well as law enforcement, operate on two separate planes—one  for the politically connected class, and one for everyone else. In case  after corrupt case, cops, politicians, judges, and law makers are busted  committing often horrific crimes  and they face no consequences. 

The most recent egregious example of  this separate treatment under the law comes out of New York and involves  the state’s top official, the governor. Last week, during a political gathering in the Adirondacks, Gov.  Andrew Cuomo admitted to breaking a federal law, continuing to break the  law, and noted how he treasured breaking the law. Not surprisingly, no  investigation was launched, no fines levied, and the governor of New  York went about life as usual. The crime Cuomo admitted to committing and continuing to commit deals  with a federal law that prohibits non-Native Americans from possessing  bald eagle parts, including feathers. 

The law is decades old and is part  of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. During the event in which he was announcing an economic development  grant for the village of Saranac Lake, Cuomo took time out of the speech  to reflect on the time that he and his family took an eagle feather  from the lake and noted how they continue to proudly display it at their  home. 

“And one of the highlight moments was on Saranac Lake when we were in  a canoe and we were taking a canoe trip and out of nowhere, from one of  the islands, an eagle came out and, like, swooped down right next to us  with this beautiful, graceful glide,” Cuomo said. “And when the eagle was just about at front of the canoe, one feather  fell out,” he said. “And we picked up that feather and I have it on my  fireplace to this day.” 

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, amended several times since  its passage in 1940, prohibits anyone without a federal permit from  disturbing, taking or possessing eagle parts, eggs or nests. 

Violating  the act can result in a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment for one  year, or both, for a first offense, according to the Fish and Wildlife  Service’s website. Under the law, only specially authorized and permitted members of  Native American tribes can possess eagle feathers, which are used in  ceremonies and rituals. The AP originally caught the issue and reached out to a Cuomo spokesperson who said the family was unaware of the law. 

However, as statist after statist has recounted for decades, “ignorance of the law is no defense against breaking it.” According to the Washington Times, officials at the Fish and Wildlife  Service declined to comment on Cuomo possessing an eagle feather and  referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The U.S.  Attorney’s Office in Albany didn’t respond to a request for comment. No one here is advocating for someone to be fined $100,000 or face a  year in prison for picking up an eagle feather that fell into a lake as  this is just silly. 

However, the double standard in this case is glaring  and deserves attention. Indeed, federal agents have raided tribes—who are legally allowed to  possess eagle feathers—and made arrests and seized feathers. But it gets worse. The federal government spends millions of dollars  a year enforcing this eagle feather law. They run covert operations  with names like Operation Pow Wow, Operation Silent Wilderness, and  Operation Game Thief. 

Across the nation, people have faced heavy fines  and even been imprisoned for similar acts that governor Cuomo admitted  to doing. However, as this case illustrates, those who are inside the system  are subject to a different set of laws than the serf class. Until  society refuses to tolerate this hypocrisy, we can only expect this  problem to get worse