That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Story summary
A Super PAC supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has launched an advertisement accusing New York Governor Kathy Hochul of pay-to-play corruption. The ad highlights a $637 million contract awarded to Digital Gadgets for COVID tests during the pandemic, days after CEO Charles Tebele and family members contributed over $500,000 to Hochul’s campaign. According to reports, New York paid roughly twice what other states like California paid when buying directly from manufacturers. The ad aims to portray Hochul as benefiting her donors while taxpayers foot the bill.
Written for “Kathy Hochul Corruption Accusations” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning: leans strongly right for article 63493 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-07
A Super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has launched a multi-million-dollar ad slamming Kathy Hochul for pay-to-play “corruption” after she promptly awarded a donor with a no-bid contract during the pandemic to buy COVID tests.
asserted
she → back → tests
The $637 million emergency deal given to Digital Gadgets came just days after its CEO Charles Tebele and other family members held a lavish fundraiser for Hochul ahead of her 2022 reelection.
asserted
CEO → give → reelection
“Kathy Hochul’s corruption is the tax we all pay,” said the ad paid for by the Strong and Safe New York Super Pac, a group bankrolled by Knicks owner James Dolan and casino magnate Steve Wynn.
asserted
ad → pay → Dolan
She gave her friends a $637 million no-bid contract for COVID tests, paying more than double what others were charging.
asserted
others → give → charging
And weeks before the deal, the CEO threw her a big fundraiser.
asserted
CEO → throw → fundraiser
The family ultimately shelled out more than $500,000 to Hochul’s machine.
asserted
family → shell → machine
“Hochul gets rich, her friends get richer,” the ad’s narrator says.
asserted
narrator → get → ?
“And we get the bill.”
asserted
we → get → bill
An image of Hochul appears with a mock $637 million check paid to a “Hochul donor” for a “No bid Covid contract.”
asserted
image → appear → contract
The pro-Blakeman ad – costing $750,00 per week – is running on streaming services, paid social media and video texting to more than 1 million voters.
asserted
ad → cost → voters
It is scheduled to run until Election Day, Nov. 3, the group said.
asserted
group → schedule → Day
“Everything Kathy Hochul does raises costs on struggling New Yorkers, including her expensive and corrupt no-bid contracts,” a Strong and Safe spokesman said.
asserted
spokesman → do → contracts
“New Yorkers simply can no longer afford Kathy Hochul.”
asserted
Yorkers → afford → Hochul
The ad revives reports by the Times Union that Hochul’s administration purchased 52 million COVID tests in 2022 from Digital Gadgets at roughly twice the price others paid, like California, for buying directly from a manufacturer — all while Tebele and family members funneled $300,000 to Hochul’s campaign.
asserted
Tebele → revive → campaign
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
asserted
Report → start → news
Tebele’s fundraiser was held in November 2021.
asserted
fundraiser → hold → November
The payments were justified by Hochul’s office at the time as necessary to buy rapid tests quickly to keep schools open – though many of the tests were still not used months after they were bought.
asserted
they → justify → tests
Hochul’s office also claimed the governor was not personally involved in awarding the contract to Tebele’s firm – and that contracts had to be awarded quickly to curb a spike in COVID cases.
asserted
contracts → claim → cases
“Governor Hochul did not oversee the procurement process and was not involved in the day-to-day procurement decisions,” a Hochul spokesperson said in September 2022.
asserted
spokesperson → oversee → September
“She simply instructed her team to purchase as many available tests as possible to meet the tremendous need across the state, and they did exactly that to keep New Yorkers safe.”
asserted
they → instruct → Yorkers
Lee Zeldin, Hochul’s 2022 Republican opponent, also blasted her over the contract during their race.
asserted
Zeldin → blast → race
The Post has reached out to Hochul’s campaign for comment.
asserted
Post → reach → comment
The Aporia
