Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., who has been urging his fellow Democratic colleagues to vote “no” on the budget since it doesn’t include rent control, was in his glory during a debate last night on the Legislature’s ceding power to Gov. Andrew Cuomo – particularly when it comes to prison closures.

(H/T Politicker).

“We are giving the Honorable Andrew Cuomo all the power in the world to decide all for himself to close these prisons, and that we trust him and that we are telling all those residents, all those businesses, elected officials are telling their communities: Oh, don’t worry. We have an on-time budget, and we trust the governor,” the Bronx Democrat said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if that is the way that people do campaigning upstate, in the South Bronx, this black guy, with the kinky hair from Puerto Rico, I campaign differently…I trust no one. I trust no one. Not the governor. Not the lieutenant governor…No one. When it comes to the well being of the residents of the 32nd senatorial district that I represent, I trust no one.”

Later, Diaz Sr. gave voice to the growing belief that Cuomo harbors White House aspirations, saying:

“Trust Governor Cuomo? He wants to be president! Governor Cuomo wants to be president, and he would do anything to be president. He would take away the Medicare from the people, he would take the services from the poor, he would take the money from education…He would put everybody on the unemployment line and then he would say, ‘I balanced the budget. Elect me for President.’ Shame on you.”

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