Results tagged “troopergate”

New Yorkers may miss former governor Eliot Spitzer enough to prefer having him as governor over Governor David Paterson, but, as the transcripts from State Inspector General Joseph Fisch reveal, Spitzer is still basically a huge asshole. As part of the investigation into the Troopergate mess—where Spitzer and his aides developed a campaign to smear (then) Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno—, Fisch needed to interview Spitzer. The NY Times reports that Fisch "found him hostile, frustrated over his experience in Albany and with his legendary temper in full bloom."

Before former governor Eliot Spitzer was brought down by Hookergate, he was embroiled in Troopergate, the campaign to smear (then) Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. The State Commission on Public Integrity investigated the matter at the time, last week the Inspector General revealed the commission's head, Herbert Teitelbaum, leaked details of the probe to Spitzer and that the panel never truly investigated the matter! Now Teitelbaum has resigned, though he claims it was because he was a "lightning rod for criticism" and slammed the IG's report, "Calling something an ‘apparent violation' is just another way of saying ‘I have insufficient proof.' It is reckless, unprofessional and dangerous for the Inspector General to initiate an investigation based on a claim of ‘inappropriate conduct' and to then make a finding of an ‘apparent violation.'" Beyond Teitelbaum's departure, Governor David Paterson wants the entire panel to resign and start over.

If you hear that the "Luv Gov" is chasing after Black-eyed Susans this weekend, it's probably not what you think. One of the thirteen horses entered into the Preakness Stakes this weekend in Baltimore, Luv Gov (pictured) has been given the same nickname slapped on former Governor Eliot Spitzer. The thoroughbred's owner is Marylou Whitney, an upstate Republican with another horse named "Ninth Client."

Sarah Palin was guilty of abusing her power as governor, according to the report released following a three month investigation by the Alaska legislature. The investigation over whether Palin exceeded the limits of her authority in order to carry out a personal feud against an Alaskan state trooper began before Palin was selected to be John McCain's running mate.

Troopergate scandal, his emails were targeted (and his personal ones were published!).

Yesterday, over 8,500 pages of documents detailing Albany DA David Soares's investigation into former Governor Spitzer's campaign to smear former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno were released yesterday--at a price. Lohud.com's Joseph Spector writes that the country clerk offered a $90 CD to the public and press that contained four boxes worth of information:

I’m just starting to go through it, and it’s an absolute mess. Every page is it’s own pdf file and not even scrollable or searchable. So it appears every page is its own file, making it that much more difficult to review. None of the files are titled, there’s no index...

Continue reading "Albany DA Offers Troopergate Docs for $90"

While four Spitzer administration officials were charged for breaking the law by misusing the State Police to smear a rival, former Governor Spitzer--who knew full well what was going on--wasn't charged. State Commission on Public Integrity head Richard Teitelbaum, though, suggested Spitzer could potentially face charges, telling the Post, "If there's additional evidence that is received, we will deal with that evidence... We will pursue that evidence." (Teitelbaum's law firm did donate to Spitzer's various campaigns for AG and governor, but he said he wasn't friends with the disgraced gov.) Still, there are e-mails explicitly showing that his aides kept him in the loop in the effort to bring down former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

The State Commission on Public Integrity found that four Spitzer administrations officials broke the law as they tried to smear Spitzer's rival, former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. However there were no charges for former Governor Spitzer.

Long before Kristen and Hookergate, former Governor Eliot Spitzer was embroiled in Troopergate, a spectacularly misguided attempt to smear his rival, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, with state police records. Now, the Spitzer aide most identified with the scandal is trying to set the record straight, but the state ethics panel apparently isn't having any of that.

A state official confirmed that a retired state trooper who had headed former Governor Pataki's state police protection unit committed suicide.

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has emerged from his upstate seclusion and now has his nose back to the grindstone--this time in the private sector. There was no need to polish his resumé, however, as his new boss is his father. Bernard Spitzer, who is 83 years old and suffering from Alzheimer's, amassed a half-billion dollar real estate and money management empire during his career.

Today, a Newsday editorial suggests Albany DA David Soares was either "afraid" or "just incompetent" when it came to reporting about former Governor Eliot Spitzer's involvement in using the state police to smear his political rival. Well, that's what happens when you initially say Spitzer had nothing to do with the Troopergate scandal, and then issue another report saying Spitzer was actively involved.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares released a second report saying that former Governor Eliot Spitzer did, according to an aide's testimony, tell his aides to release state travel records about his Republican rival in a smear attempt. This report reverses Soares' September report, which concluded Spitzer's aides broke no laws.

Just as news settles that former Governor Eliot Spitzer was personally involved in trying to bring down rival State Senator Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, the Albany DA's office probably won't prosecute anyone in the Troopergate mess.

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer was deeply involved with the plot to smear rival State Senator Joseph Bruno to the point of being so mad he would spit his coffee, according to NY Times sources.

On Wednesday, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo crashed Fashion Week when he announced an indictment against the former superintendent of the 26th Street Armory. James Jackson had solicited bribes from fashion darling Marc Jacobs (pictured), who allegedly complied in order to secure the coveted armory space for his fashion shows. The Armory is considered a "community asset" whose space is to be used by the military and public.

New York State Senate leader Joseph Bruno is still under FBI investigation for possibly improper ties to unions that deal with state pension agencies! In 2006, Bruno said of the FBI's look, "I have nothing to hide. They are going into background over the past five or six years," but the NY Times describes the feds' current investigation as widening.

Even while targeted in the Troopergate scandal, State Senate leader Joseph Bruno was living in high style. The New York Sun is reporting that Bruno enjoyed a 3,500 square foot, two-story penthouse suite at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, just weeks before the legislature selected the hotel chain to construct a luxury hotel in Albany.

On November 30, the nine-member board of the Albany Convention Center Authority, which includes a member appointed by Mr. Bruno, voted to begin negotiations with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, of which Sheraton is a subsidiary, as operator of a 400-room hotel to be built in downtown Albany near the senate leader's district.

Continue reading "Joe Bruno: The 'Top Dog' With the Suite Doghouse"

Today, Governor Spitzer is giving his second State of the State Address. Which makes us recall last year's State of the State.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an industrial accident on 10th Ave. near 30th St. in Manhattan, a man down an elevator shaft at 50 West 15th St. in Manhattan, and a homicide at Neck Parkway and 42nd Ave. in Queens.
• Not only have investigators found hard drives scrubbed clean of potentially damaging e-mail messages related to Troopergate, the Spitzer administration is refusing to even identify the names of the Internet Service Providers that were used to transmit them.
• There's a new site online for "non-pretentious people who live in Flatbush," or perhaps those who are just interested in the Brooklyn neighborhood.

Troopergate was initially about Gov. Spitzer or his aides using State Police to effectually spy on Spitzer's primary political foe in Albany, Joseph Bruno. (The two also don't appear to like each other on a personal level.) The Governor's communications director Darren Dopp was suspended in the course of the investigation and has since left state employ for a job with an Albany lobbying firm.

Governor Spitzer may have been proud of not doing things the usual Albany way at the beginning of his term, but in the wake of Troopergate and other missteps, he's apparently desperate for support. So desperate that he's turned to lobbyists.

Albany county attorney general P. David Soares is taking another stab at the Troopergate scandal by issuing subpoenas for Gov. Spitzer's e-mails to and from his aides, as well as e-mails between aides. Troopergate centered around accusations that Spitzer and/or his top aides used state police to essentially spy on Spitzer's primary foe in Albany--state senate leader Joseph Bruno. The first Troopergate investigation resulted in the resignation of Spitzer's communications director Darren Dopp. The broad subpoena recently delivered to the Spitzer administration seeks public and private e-mails that may show the Governor pressured Dopp to perjure himself during a sworn statement.

The Siena College Research Institute released information on how New Yorkers feel about Governor Spitzer, and the news is bad. Thirteen months after Spitzer was elected overwhelmingly to office, he now has a rating of 36% favorable/51% unfavorable (sliding from 64-22 in June, 41-46 in November) and a job performance rating of 27% positive=70 negative (55-37 in June, 33-64 in November). Not only that, but Siena Poll spokesman Steven Greenberg said, "A majority of voters,...

At the direction of Gov. Spitzer, state inspector general Kristine Hamann (who handled the Troopergate investigation) is looking into allegations of "misfeasance and nonfeasance" at The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The commission was formed in 1953 to root out corruption and mob control of the docks in New York. Ironically, it's now the waterfront watchdog that has come under scrutiny for misdeeds that include that it "hired unqualified police officers, inappropriately spent agency...

Troopergate is the story that just keeps giving! Yesterday, we found out that Darren Dopp, former aide for Governor Spitzer accused of leaking information to smear Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, probably won't face perjury but there's question as to whether a sworn statement he gave is actually a sworn statement since it doesn't have the language "I swear to the truth of this statement." Now it turns out that Dopp called Attorney General Andrew Cuomo "an animal"!

While Governor Spitzer has been trying to get back to business, the Senate Investigations Committee and Albany County DA's office have been busy deciding what to do with Spitzer's from communications director Darren Dopp. Dopp resigned after he at least co-devised a plan to smear Spitzer's rival Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno over the summer. The NY Times reports the Albany County DA's office is not going to charge Dopp with perjury - yet. Dopp's...

Well if it's not the driver's license issue that's plaguing Governor Spitzer, it's Troopergate and its fallout. Spitzer's former communications director Darren Dopp (pictured), who was faulted for at least co-devising a plan to smear Spitzer rival State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, may have perjured himself during an investigation and now the Albany County DA's office has opened an inquiry. Back in July, Dopp gave a sworn written statement to Attorney General Cuomo. But...

It's either an unfortunate choice of words or a pointed dig. When asked about a Siena College poll that showed Mayor Bloomberg would win a gubernatorial match-up against Governor Spitzer 50-37, Bloomberg gave his thoughts on the Steamroller's difficulties: "I think that Eliot Spitzer will turn out to be a very good governor of this state. He's had his teething problems as everybody does when they come into office."

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver made a public plea to Gov. Eliot Spitzer to cool down his feud with State Senate Leader Joseph Bruno. The so-called Troopergate scandal began when the Governor allegedly sicced State Police on Bruno to monitor his business travel practices. In the aftermath, Spitzer lost some of his long-time aides when he claimed he knew nothing about the surveillance and they resigned. Darren Dopp recently was hired as a lobbyist after losing his job.