Spitzer Goons Face Ethics Charges

After noting earlier today how Eliot Spitzer's hooker was back in the news, I was wondering what Eliot and his former henchpersons were up to.

Well, what do you know, we now find out four of his goons are now facing ethics charges for trying to railroad GOP Senate Leader Joe Bruno. Sure, it's all basically slap on the wrist stuff and these punks should be staring at jail time; maybe they'll roll over and rat out the big cheese, though I won't hold my breath on that.

Four former officials of the Spitzer administration violated the state’s Public Officers Law when they sought to have the state police gather damaging information about State Senator Joseph L. Bruno’s travels on state aircraft last summer, according to a report released today by the State Commission on Public Integrity.

Two of the officials, Richard Baum, the former top aide to Gov. Eliot Spitzer, and William Howard, a former public safety adviser to the governor, have already reached settlements with the commission.

The other two officials, former communications director Darren Dopp and former state police superintendent Preston Felton, are contesting the charges. If the commission’s findings are upheld, Mr. Dopp could be subject to a $10,000 fine and Mr. Felton to fines totaling $20,000.

The Albany DA David Soares and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo are both Democrat hacks, so don't expect them to work overtime pursuing Spitzer.

It's likely his public humiliation is his ultimate punishment.

More here, which notes this gem from Spitzer during his testimony before the commission.

"I'm giving you my best recollection, which is that I have no recollection of it happening," Spitzer said in testimony before the commission, denying any memory of receiving updates from his staff on the monitoring of Bruno by state police.

Dirty Tricks Cover-Up Continues

If you figured the Dirty Tricks scandal involving Eliot Spitzer would be resolved with his resignation a few months back, then you were hopelessly wrong.

The Albany County DA, David Soares, who particpated in a bogus investigation last year, has now gone so far as to block Freedon of Information requests in violation os state law.

We've now seen a governor resign (granted, there were other factors) and two State Police employees commit suicide in the wake of this scandal, yet the cover-up continues.

An absolute disgrace.

What's worse is the current governor is nowhere to be found on this issue.

Hapless Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who tried to hide Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Dirty Tricks Scandal last year with a half-baked "investigation," is now breaking the state's Freedom of Information Law by refusing to release dozens of scandal-related records.

Soares has blocked an official, legally binding ruling by the Albany County public-information appeals officer - and at the same time rejected the finding of the state's top Freedom of Information official - that transcripts of highly questionable scandal-related testimony by Spitzer, fired acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton, former top Spitzer aide Darren Dopp and others be provided to The Post.

The potentially explosive ruling was issued nearly two weeks ago, and Soares, in a blatant and possibly unprecedented violation of the Freedom of Information Law, has refused to make the documents available, much less say whether he will honor what is a legally binding ruling.

"I am disturbed by this," Robert Freeman, executive director of the state Committee on Open Government, told The Post.

"The appeals authority is supposed to be able to make a binding ruling."

The still-secret testimony formed the basis of Soares' September whitewash "report" on Spitzer's involvement in the Dirty Tricks Scandal, in which the then-governor and his top aides used the State Police to gather purportedly damaging information on Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer).

The testimony would likely provide further proof that Spitzer, Dopp and others lied to Soares in an effort to get the Democratic DA, a strong Spitzer political ally, to issue a report challenging Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's earlier finding that top aides to the governor had blatantly misused the State Police in the anti-Bruno plot.

At the very least, Soares should resign. Clearly, he's covering his own backside.

Sadly, Fred Dicker appears to be the only one following the case. The rest of the media is silent.