From the 'You Can't Make This Stuff Up' files.
Commentary from Jeff Childers 'Coffee & Covid'
'You know who else is throwing in the covid towel? Replacement governor Kathy Hochul of New York, who suddenly and unexpectedly ended the state’s hyper-extended covid state of emergency last week.
The Post’s headline obviously connected Hochul’s decision to her flaccid re-election — first election? — poll numbers. But there might be another, stiffer explanation.

Last week, the Post ran another story headlined, “Hochul Gave Covid Test Contract To Campaign Donor That Charged Taxpayers Double.” In the story, the Post explained:

An end to the state of emergency comes just days after revelations of how Hochul reportedly helped a donor tied to $300,000 in campaign donations get $637 million in state business for rapid tests that were twice the cost of those provided by other vendors. The payments … add to a growing list of alleged pay-to-play schemes involving Hochul, who has denied wrongdoing.
Pay to play schemes? Say it isn’t so. New York’s emergency declaration gave Governor Hochul power to bypass normal procurement requirements for state purchases and award ‘no bid’ contracts whenever the mood struck. It’s shocking that there could have been any abuses. I mean, Hochul is completely above reproach and so forth. I know that you’re shocked. Shocked and appalled. How could this happen, and so forth.
“The order finally expiring today is a powerful illustration of why it’s dangerous to let governors overuse their emergency powers,” health policy expert Bill Hammond explained. “The Legislature should investigate what happened and reform the law to make sure it can’t happen again.”

Who could have ever seen this kind of thing coming?'