New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver agrees to temporarily step aside

(Image credit: Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

For the first time since 1994, Sheldon Silver won't be in the role of speaker of the New York State Assembly — if his fellow Democrats approve his new shift-of-power proposal in a meeting on Monday. Late Sunday, Silver agreed to temporarily give up his speaker duties while he fights federal corruption charges. Instead of handing over power to one person, though, he would split his duties among a handful of senior Democratic colleagues.

Silver would "not specifically step down, but step back," an unidentified person "briefed on the situation" tells The New York Times. Federal prosecutors accuse Silver, 70, of trying to disguise $4 million in payments he obtained by abusing his authority; Silver denies the charges.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.