Ethics board probes gov’s ‘loyalty tester’

The state’s ethics agency has launched a probe into top Cuomo confidant Larry Schwartz, who pressed Democratic county officials on whether they remained supportive of the scandalplagued governor while he led the state’s coronavirus vaccination campaign, sources told The Post.

Some of the leaders griped that Schwartz’s loyalty test — during a period when many other elected officials were calling on Cuomo to resign amid the nursing-home-death scandal and multiple sexualharassment allegations — were inappropriate, and voiced concerns that their county’s access to the vaccines might hinge on their response to the governor’s then-vaccine czar.

Staffers at the Joint Commission on Public Ethics last week contacted Democratic county executives about Schwartz’s calls to them gauging their backing of Cuomo, sources confirmed to The Post. The probe was first reported by the Albany Times Union.

A JCOPE spokesman declined to comment to The Post, saying it is forbidden by law to discuss any probe.

Schwartz and Cuomo’s office had no immediate comment.