Spitzer's Troopergate Revisited

Long-forgotten now that Eliot Spitzer has become a punchline over his use of $4000 hookers is the fact what should have sent him packing was his use of New York State Troopers to dig up dirt on his political opponents. Of course few cared about this gross abuse of power since Spitzer at the time was the fair-haired golden boy of Democrat circles who honed his street cred going after those bad guys on Wall Street.
Most of the media dismissed this story back in 2007 and if it weren't for his dalliances with prostitutes he'd probably still be in office or (shudder) possibly the Attorney General of the United States (and you though Eric Holder was bad).

Well, one chapter in this sordid affair has now closed.

Former acting State Police Superintendent Preston Felton admitted breaking state law in connection with the Dirty Tricks scandal involving Eliot Spitzer's use of the state police against a political foe, public-integrity officials said yesterday.

The decision from the Public Integrity Commission closes an outstanding chapter of the "Troopergate" scandal, which was the beginning of the end for then-Gov. Spitzer.

Felton, who left his post in the wake of Spitzer's resignation in March 2008 over a prostitution scandal, admitted to violating the Public Officers Law when he agreed to a request from William Howard, Spitzer's assistant secretary for homeland security.

Felton went along with the request to "create documents and transmit sensitive information concerning [then] Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's use of state aircraft for trips to New York City and his ground itineraries during such trips," the commission said.

The Post broke the Dirty Tricks scandal story in July 2007.

And The Post was pretty much the outlet local news outlet interested in exposing this fraud Spitzer. Using all the power of his office to destroy political opponents didn't interest The New York Times, among other esteemed news outlets. Abuse of power they're not so much interested in, especially when it's a Democrat doing the abusing. Hookers, however, interest everyone.

Ironically, Bruno now is facing a verdict in an unrelated case while Spitzer is giving lectures on ethics. One imagine his "ethics" talks don't mention having your state police setting up political opponents.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Eliot Spitzer Was Unavailable for Comment

More sad fallout from Troopergate. Another New York State Police employee with a peripheral relationship to the scandal has committed suicide.

A veteran State Police forensic scientist hanged himself yesterday under circumstances shockingly similar to the suicide of another state police official just eight days ago

Garry Veeder, 59, left a note in his Albany suburb home saying he was concerned about becoming a target of an internal probe regarding the handling of a high-profile case, the Albany Times Union reported.

But sources said Veeder, who recently put in his retirement papers, was not implicated in the investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is probing suspected political espionage by a rogue group of State Police officials.

Veeder's death comes eight days after Gary Berwick, a retired State Police inspector, was found by his daughter, hanged in his garage in the Albany area.

Veeder was found by his wife, also in his garage, at about 7:30 a.m. yesterday.

"She came out and screamed," a neighbor in Voorheesville said.

Sources said Veeder apparently overreacted - with tragic results - to a recently concluded report on a kind of forensic-science cheating called "dry-labbing."

Meanwhile, a central figure in the case was abruptly terminated Friday.

The New York Power Authority announced it has terminated Daniel Wiese effective this afternoon.

NYPA's action against its own inspector general comes amid a probe by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into allegations of political espionage within the State Police. Weise, a former trooper who ran gubernatorial security details, has been a figure in the probe.

Weise's termination comes as he is mulling a lawsuit against his employer for suspending him without pay two weeks ago. On Monday, he advised the authority that it had no right to remove him from office and complained that it had harmed his reputation.

I hope Eliot Spitzer is enjoying his forced retirement.

Thanks to Instapundit for the link.