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Payback is a Tish.
A top adviser to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted Attorney General Letitia James as the “biggest hypocrite in Albany” for releasing the personnel records of a whistleblower who accused her office of targeting President Trump.
Richard Azzopardi, who was senior adviser and communications director for Cuomo during his time leading the state, was accused of retaliation by Tish’s team for doing the same thing five years ago when records went public on a staffer who accused the governor of sexual harassment.
“AG James is probably the biggest hypocrite in Albany — and that’s a contest,” Azzopardi told The Post. “It’s galling that she’s doing the same thing and is expecting everyone to look the other way.”
“If what I did was retaliation, what is this?” said Azzopardi. “There’s no daylight between these two situations.”
Azzopardi said it was remarkable to see James’ office release some internal records and office emails of whistleblower Daniel Wiesenfeld, a prosecutor in the Investor Protection Bureau. Wiesenfeld has claimed his manager told him to keep pursuing an insider trading case against President Trump despite a lack of evidence of a crime.
Records first obtained from the AG’s office by the Times Union, via a Freedom of Information Law request, last week revealed that Wiesenfeld had been “counseled” for performance issues including failing to participate in meetings or answer to supervisors.
“The agency is specifically aware that you e-mailed privileged and/or confidential information related to the work of OAG to your personal e-mail account,” Jenna Moran, the attorney general’s human resources director, wrote in a letter to Wiesenfeld on Sept. 4, when she formally notified him that he was being terminated.
“Those e-mails and documents, as well as any records in your possession that may have been derived from such privileged and/or confidential information, must be destroyed or returned immediately,” the letter stated.
A prior June performance review of Wiesenfeld — first hired by the AG’s office in 2024 — noted that last year he was considered “hardworking, reliable (and) takes ownership of his cases.” That review also noted he had a “good attitude.”
Last week Wiesenfeld claimed he was being threatened by the AG’s office for refusing to delete evidence of the alleged corruption.
In an exchange of emails – copies of which were obtained by The Post from the AG’s office under Freedom of Information law — Wiesenfeld denied that the documents in question were “confidential and privileged information” as the AG claimed.
“These documents are simply evidence and your threats will not compel me to destroy such evidence,” he wrote. “If anything, carrying out your threats by bringing this to a legal forum will make this information public.”
Wiesenfeld claimed the push to dig dirt on Trump came directly from James.
“Tish was the boss and what Tish wanted, Tish got,” Wiesenfeld told The Post last week. “So we had to keep going.”
Trump, who has had legal fights with James, shared The Post’s exclusive interview with Wiesenfeld claiming he has ordered to target the president.
Wiesenfeld has been at odds with his boss since August, when he blasted an email to over 2,000 colleagues claiming he was forced investigate Trump, his family and his pals.
He was later fired.
James defended her office’s action in the Wiesenfeld disciplinary case and dismissed Azzopardi’s criticism as “disingenuous.”
“The Office of the Attorney General is duty bound to take disciplinary action when one of its attorneys violates the law, the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, or agency policy. Mr. Wiesenfeld was terminated for cause after it was determined that he committed such violations,” a spokesperson for AG James said.
“We remain committed to enforcing New York’s laws and defending the rights of all New Yorkers. Any suggestion otherwise is disingenuous.”
Wiesenfeld’s personnel files were released to the media in accordance with the state FOIL and a review of his allegations that AG’s office was pushing another probe of Trump were not substantiated, the AG’s office said, adding that Wiesenfeld did not participate in the probe.
Azzopardi was involved in releasing the personnel records of Lindsey Boylan, a former executive chamber staffer who was the first of several women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment.
After Boylan tweeted in December 2020 that the governor “sexually harassed” her over her looks, Azzopardi sent several reporters — including one from The Post — “confidential files” detailing workplace complaints against Boylan, along with a formal statement denying the allegations.
He testified that the release of records had been cleared by legal counsel.
James’ investigative team hammered Azzopardi and others in Cuomo’s camp for releasing Boylan’s records.
“These actions also sent a chilling message to other would be complainants,” James’ bombshell report said, concluding that Cuomo, a Democrat, engaged in sexual misconduct.
“Regardless of the involvement of counsel, we find that the result of the Executive Chamber’s release of the Confidential Files related to Ms. Boylan constituted unlawful retaliation,” the James report said.
The devastating report triggered Cuomo’s resignation in 2021, though he continues to deny wrongdoing.
Democrat James, seeking re-election to a third-term, is facing off against Republican Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor.