Chris Bragg is reporting for the Times Union that U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor from Long Island, on September 16 called for an investigation into $637 million in spending by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration to buy rapid coronavirus tests last winter. The Times Union reported the same day that California paid 45 percent less per test for the same brand purchased by New York. If New York had paid the same price as California, it would have saved $286 million. "This needs to be investigated," Zeldin said at a press conference in Manhattan. "I would love to know what the attorney general of New York thinks about this case. What does the New York state comptroller think about this?" California bought directly from the manufacturer of the tests, but New York purchased through a third-party distributor that took an unspecified cut. The third-party distributor, Digital Gadgets, is owned by a New York City family that has given nearly $300,000 to Hochul’s campaign. Zeldin said Friday, "I would love for the Hochul administration to tell you about how they tried to go directly to that company to get it from them directly — to cut out the middle man — as was their duty, as stewards of tax dollars." A Hochul spokesperson did not immediately answer a question about whether the administration sought to buy the tests directly from the manufacturer, and a health department spokesperson has declined comment on the matter. Records show that when Digital Gadgets made an initial offer to sell the state 26 million tests for $13 each, Hochul’s office approved the deal the same day. The governor’s office argues it needed to quickly acquire a significant number of tests before schools reopened after the holidays on January 3, and that Digital Gadgets was uniquely able to supply a large quantity of tests before then. Republican state Sen. Sue Serino on Sept. 16 called for Attorney General Letitia James and Albany County District Attorney David Soares to investigate the matter, a call echoed by Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt. Read the full story at timesunion [dot] com.