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.

How Convenient: Demoted Figure in Spitzer Dirty Tricks Scandal Gets Mystery Promotion

We won't yet call this witness tampering, but it sure stinks to high heaven.

We will, however, call it business as usual with the ethically-challenged Spitzer administration.

TOP aides to Gov. Spitzer have secretly promoted a central figure in the Dirty Tricks Scandal who was demoted last summer after his involvement was revealed, The Post has learned.

The unannounced promotion of William Howard, Spitzer's former homeland-security advisor and liaison to the State Police, occurred this month, although Howard is expected to testify in connection with several scandal-related investigations.

The promotion, to acting chief of staff of the Homeland Security Office, was approved around the same time a top scandal investigator with ties to Spitzer was secretly granted a hefty pay raise after only a few months on the job.

"Howard's promotion is startling, because it looks like it is part of a pattern designed to influence the [scandal] investigation," said a Spitzer-administration source.

Howard was demoted from his $175,900-a-year post last July after Attorney General Andrew Cuomo confirmed The Post's disclosure that top Spitzer aides had used the State Police in a plot to damage Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, the governor's chief Republican opponent.

Howard's pay was cut to $155,000 a year, and he was transferred from the Governor's Office at the state Capitol to a secondary post at the Homeland Security Office.

He is expected to receive "a significant raise," a source added.

News of the promotion was all "the buzz" at a homeland-security forum held last week by the state's Business Council. His new title appeared on the list of speakers.

Howard could not be reached for comment.

Naturally. Though I'm sure he could easily be reached when Spitzer needs a favor.

With Democrats running the show in New York, expect them to simply try and milk the clock on this. If only some other media outlets outside of the New York Post would pay any attention (looking at you, NY Times), this might get somewhere.

His promotion comes just weeks after Herbert Teitelbaum, executive director of the Spitzer-controlled Public Integrity Commission, which is probing the scandal, was granted a $15,000-a-year raise and time to take a 21/2-week South American vacation after only a few months on the job.

Last October, Darren Dopp, a key scandal figure suspended in the wake of the Cuomo report, was hired at increased pay and, according to sources, with Spitzer's approval, by lobbyist Patricia Lynch.

A few weeks later, Teitelbaum's commission said Dopp, the governor's former communications director, may have committed perjury when he released what Spitzer claimed was a sworn statement about the scandal.

It must be great to have that D after your name.

Damaging Revelations in Spitzer Dirty Tricks Scandal

Giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens may be the least of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's problems, as a New York Post report today reveals his former communications director, Darren Dopp, asked another aide to lie about the origins of a smear campaign against Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

If true, this would contradict Spitzer's weak claim he had no knowledge of the plot, which first came to light several months ago.

The governor has some explaining to do.

Gov. Spitzer's former communications director, Darren Dopp, asked another Spitzer aide to lie about the origins of the Dirty Tricks Scandal - including the governor's own allegedly extensive knowledge of the plot to smear the Senate's GOP leader, a well-placed source told The Post yesterday.

Dopp wanted now-demoted Spitzer homeland-security aide William Howard to join him in denying there was anything unusual in their months-long effort to use the State Police to gather evidence purporting to show Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) misused state aircraft for political purposes, said the source, who knows many of those involved in the scandal.

Dopp sought to have Howard, whose job involved overseeing the State Police, back up his initial public claim that the information gathered on Bruno was merely the result of a "change in State Police policy" designed to keep better track of the use of state aircraft, and was not part of a complex conspiracy aimed at damaging or destroying Spitzer's chief Republican opponent, the source continued.

The state Public Integrity Commission last week asked Albany District Attorney David Soares to examine possible perjury by Dopp before the commission.

UPDATE: Instapundit links. Thanks!