GOP gov hopeful calls for a scalp in Percoco case

executive director in 2016, “has a clear conflict of interest and should resign to remove any appearance of impropriety.”

“Mr. Percoco was illegally operating out (of) Andrew Cuomo’s government office and Mr. Agata knew it,” DeFrancisco said. “It smells to high heaven, frankly, that he’s now not investigating what happened as head of the ethics commission.

“That more than raises eyebrows, and it erodes the public trust.”

Agata couldn’t be reached for comment. Commission spokesman Walt McClure wouldn’t address the specifics, but he said the ethics commission has a recusal policy in place for staff when needed.

Percoco was convicted last week of three federal corruption charges and faces up to 50 years in prison.

lll Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra, who failed in his bid to get the GOP nomination for governor, blames state conservatives for dragging down the Republican Party in New York. “The Conservative Party is an albatross, I believe, around the neck of the Republican Party,” Giambra said. “The tail has been wagging the dog for a long time and I think right now, this (Republican) party is a very wounded dog.” Giambra took direct aim at longtime state Conservative Party chairman Michael Long, whom he called “a caveman, a Neanderthal” and a “waste of human oxygen” for his views opposing gay marriage, abortion, the Child Victims Act and gun control.

“He is the reason, I think, the Republican Party will not be able to move forward in this state,” said Giambra, who is still pursuing the minor Reform Party line. “I think he’s the reason the Republicans have been losing and are going to get crushed, I believe, in this election cycle.”

Giambra’s comments could easily be dismissed as a case of sour grapes after Long said his party would never support him for governor and no Republican county chairman backed his effort.

But in recent weeks, a number of more moderate Republicans have privately expressed to the Daily News the same concerns about the Conservative Party’s outsized influence on who the GOP picks for candidates.

Conservatives note that no Republican has won a statewide race without Conservative Party support since 1974.

But Giambra and some Republicans point out that the GOP and Conservative alliance hasn’t won a statewide race since 2002. And New York has only gotten more heavily Democratic since then.

Long laughed at Giambra’s comments before deeming him a liberal in Republican clothing.

“He’s right, we are an albatross — an albatross to liberals who want to run for office and portray themselves as something other than liberal,” Long said.