Posted on 07/24/2007 2:46:31 PM PDT by neverdem
Ever since taking office, Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York has made a name for himself as the avenger, the reformer, a political whirlwind who kicks up dust wherever he goes. Albany’s smarmy politics certainly need a reformer and, within reason, an avenger. But now a devastating report from a fellow Democrat, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, has accused Mr. Spitzer’s administration of abusing its power in the name of reform.
The report describes how the governor’s office used the state police to collect damaging information about Mr. Spitzer’s chief opponent, Joseph Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and then released that information to the press. Rather than a pursuit of possible wrongdoing, this episode has the smell of an old-fashioned dirty trick. If Mr. Spitzer does not make sure he has cleaned up his own house, his ability to clean up the rest of Albany could be severely compromised.
This whole seamy business began a few weeks ago with news reports that Mr. Bruno was using state-owned helicopters and cars to attend party fund-raising events. When the governor’s office started talking about an investigation, Mr. Bruno did too. He wanted investigators to determine whether the governor was using the pilots and state police to spy on him and whether the governor’s people were then leaking that information to the news media.
Mr. Cuomo’s report cleared the Senate leader of breaking New York’s very loose laws on the use of state transportation for political events. And it concluded that there was no surveillance ordered by the governor’s office. Instead it found that aides in the governor’s office had lied to state police — claiming they had received a Freedom of Information Law request — to get them to compile records of Mr. Bruno’s travel.
At a press conference yesterday, a somewhat muted...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
He attacked anyone he could on Wall Street for political gain. Why is he supposed to change now?
You get the govt you pay for
More smoke than fire here. Story is, essentially, Governor hires some people who do something stupid an illegal, and he fires/suspends them as the inevitable prosecution comes. It’s not really a partisan thing.
If Spitzer had been a Clinton, I don't think it would have been allowed to blow up in his face the way it has. Instructive.
Anyone who thinks that Spitter wasn’t directly involved in this is nutz. All indications are that he is a ruthless thug.
Spitzer being the kind of guy he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered this personally. What if the folks he hired turn state's evidence?
Yes, I'd love for this to turn back on him and to have him sent packing - or even better, to prison. He deserves it after what he did as AG. But in reality.... lets just hold our fire for the moment.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Getting slapped by the Times must hurt Eliot.
He learned from the Clintons.
One of his top priorities is to flip the state senate from Republican to Democrat. He is after Joe Bruno the Republican majority leader. Now Bruno is a disaster, but really. . .
And, of course, Andy Cuomo would love to challenge him in the next election.
Spitzer was here in Buffalo today and he was questioned on this. His response was, I told Joe I was sorry, I acted and dismissed the ones who did it, time to move on......
I don’t think so, I am sure he ordered this.
Spitzer, the man who would be king.
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the ping!
The only surprise here is that the Slimes is reporting this at all, albeit attributing it to “lofty goals.”
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