SYRACUSE -- The Post-Standard Editorial Board has called for Cortland County District Attorney Mark Suben to resign from office after lying to the public about acting in pornographic films in the 1970s.
In an editorial, the board says the Suben lost all credibility when he lied to voters “about an embarrassing episode in his distant past just to get re-elected.”
Read the full editorial.
The editorial board says they don’t care that Suben acted in pornographic films and it shouldn’t have mattered to voters either. However, the editorial board says that, “by lying, Suben deprived voters of the information necessary to make that judgment for themselves.”
The editorial board says Suben has “become a laughingstock on national television” and points out that late-night talk show host Jay Leno made jokes about Suben last week.
When CNY Central’s Jim Kenyon asked Suben about his pornographic past in October, Suben denied the claims. Weeks later, after a video surfaced on YouTube claiming Suben had acted in adult films, Suben held a press conference where he admitted to acting in adult films.
Suben also admitted that he lied to the press and his family about the films. He said he didn't want his bid for re-election high-jacked by a smear campaign, which he blamed on his Republican opponent, Keith Dayton, and his supporters. Dayton denied any involvement.
"I was also responding to something that was irrelevant to the campaign issues but which had the potential to sway the election," said Suben at the press conference.
Suben said that be believes the public will continue to find him credible despite his deception.
Last week, nationally recognized legal expert Jonathan Turley announced that he is calling upon the New York Bar to investigate Suben. Turley points out that an "act of dishonesty used to secure a legal position" may violate specific rules regarding misconduct under the New York State Bar Association.
The Cortland County Bar Association is expected to take up the matter in the coming days.
