Battle Between Bloomberg and Morgenthau Gets Personal

As Mayor Bloomberg and Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau continue to beef about the $83 million in settlements, fines and forfeitures that the DA's office has stored in 62 bank accounts, inside sources tell the tabloids that personal disagreements are the cause of the squabble.

Apparently, Bloomberg and Morgenthau have long butted heads, but things got ugly when the DA considered charging the city in the aftermath of the Deutsche Bank fire. That ticked off Bloomberg enough to go after the DA, who will be retiring at the end of the month after 34 years. "This is the public's money, and you just can't have two sets of books," said the mayor, who claims his finance commissioner recently uncovered the accounting discrepancy. Morgenthau has described the accusations against him as "chickenshit," and claimed the mayor was attempting to make a "power grab." A source close to the DA had this to say about the Mayor's chances of taking down the 90-year-old: "The mayor is trying to blackjack Morgenthau and they got the wrong guy to blackjack."

The Post editorializes in favor of Morgenthau, arguing that the accounts weren't exactly secret, and that Bloomberg is going after the DA as retaliation for their Deutsche Bank fire dispute, and also because he wants the DA to turn over all of the money his office receives as settlements (the DA historically splits the settlement cash 60/40 between the city and the state). Meanwhile, the Daily News digs up some real dirt on the DA, reporting that the license plate on his truck is illegally obscured by a clear protective cover — an offense punishable by a $65 fine. Morgenthau said he had never noticed that plate and that it is there to protect against "corrosion."

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By Ben Muessig in News on December 5, 2009 3:00 PM

Comments [rss]

cxb

Morgy thinks Bloombag and Doctoroff can't be cuffed b/c of their "immunity" but this "immunity" flagrantly violates the 14th Amendment's "equal protection" clause.

Just as other govt criminals like judges enjoy "absolute immunity" they gave themselves. (See Berlusconi in Italy.)

Unless they amended the Bill of Rights, it's just more fake "law" by super-criminals like our murderous mayor who can directly be linked to many murders.

(Yeah, Bloombag didn't murder anyone, like Hitler didn't. His POLICIES do the killing.)

And the media covers it all up for the Emperor.

sowhtifithppnsitwll

Clear covers are illegal, they reflect headlights and the plate # can't be seen.

Please Mr. D.A. Robert Morgenthau before you go eat Bloomie alive.

For some reason I think you have the appetite for that tub of lard we call mayor.

You will be my idol.

ANGRYGOD11

Dear Bloomie:

You aren't going to scare someone who has Death on speed dial.

felixthecat2

but things got ugly when the DA considered charging the city in the aftermath of the Deutsche Bank fire. . Morgenthau should have charged the city for the death of those firefighters.

youngpro

i won't get into the legals of it, but he can't do that

felixthecat2

ok, but it is wrong that the city did cause the death of those 2 firefighters.

youngpro

so take it to civil court and out of the da's jurisdiction. or keep it n the criminal courts, spend possibly millions on special prosecution since morganthau can't be prosecutor in that scenario, litigate for months, years, who knows, hire a special master, etc., etc., etc.

JacqueMehoff

I agree, and if it takes this long to demolish one office high rise imagine how long it would take for the mayor to clean up the Gowanus canal. the mayor loves to blame everyone but himself.

verbal

His parting act should be to charge Bloomdouche for high crimes and treason.

nicemarmot

Morganthau is really starting to look like Miracle Max from the Princess Bride.

youngpro

btw, daily news, a CLEAR cover over license plate isn't obstructive, you idiot. that's your crackerjack reporting at its best. 36 years of morganthau and that's all ya got?