(Bloomberg) --New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is temporarily handing off control of the chamber to a group of top members so he can fight federal corruption charges.
Silver, 70, will retain his title as budget negotiations and other affairs are temporarily given to the leadership group, his spokesman Michael Whyland said. Silver is expected to discuss the details with members of his majority conference in Albany today, though may be delayed by a predicted blizzard.
"This will give him the flexibility he needs so that he can defend himself against these charges, and he's confident that he will be found innocent," Whyland said in an e-mailed statement.
According to a complaint unsealed Jan. 22 in federal court, Silver used his position to refer asbestos cases from a doctor to Weitz & Luxenberg PC, a personal injury law firm, and to induce developers to retain another law firm, collecting as much as $6 million in kickbacks.
Charges Unsealed
The same day, Democrats in the Assembly met behind closed doors in Albany for almost two hours before saying they would continue to support Silver in his role as speaker, a position he's held for 20 years. That was before the complaint was released and before returning to their districts where they met an outraged public and heard from editorial boards calling for him to relinquish his post.
Assembly members convicted of a crime must resign.
