The top news in the Steamroller world was of course the decision by Albany D.A. David Soares to decide after all to look into the legalities behind the administration's effort to release unfavorable information on the targeted Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
The Daily News headline describes Spitzer as 'steamrolled' by announcement of the probe, though we don't know fully the machinations or considerations behind Soares' decision.
The Post plays up the fact that it was Soares who prosecuted former comptroller Alan Hevesi. The similarity, of course, is in the possible target -- prominent statewide Democrats whose offices allegedly acted in office out of something other than governmental duty. The difference is in some major details. But more on that in the future.
The Times more cautiously leads with calling the Soares action a "preliminary review" that may lead to a full-blown criminal investigation.
In Newsday, James T. Madore quotes the governor's spokeswoman: "While both the attorney general and the inspector general have found no illegal conduct, we respect District Attorney Soares' constitutional authority to make this determination, and his process for doing so." By which she seems to carefully imply, for public consumption at least, that the Soares' action is really kind of superfluous.
Newsday also examines the range, limits and composition of the state Ethics Commission, Spitzer's preferred prober, which has agreed to review the matter.
Also of interest: the Voice's Wayne Barrett was on WNYC yesterday suggesting that AG Andrew Cuomo was in no position to find that Bruno had done wrong in using state aircraft since during his father's governorship the family made frequent use of it themselves - and scorching Bruno would have led to charges of hypocrisy from newspapers and Republicans. Pataki once knocked the state fleet as "Air Cuomo" and proceeded to use it himself.
And, using your basic scandal-at-a-glance motif, Mike Gormley of the AP lays out the sequence of events that led Spitzer from political crest to political crisis in just a couple of weeks. The piece is worth the read because these recent events make more sense when you view them all as aspects of a partisan political war that began well before the Cuomo report.
Dan Janison
Comments (2)
With all do respect, I feel you are “sugar coating” the situation by giving Attorney General Andrew Cuomo kudos for the way he compiled his report on the Spitzer fiasco. Lets face it, Cuomo is not really pushing the issue because he wants to show faith to political allies. Gov Spitzer is a smart and efficient man and he knew what his aids were up to. This situation should be investigated by an independent party who has no political ties to Spitzer or Bruno.
As for me, I know a few things about investigations and what top aids knew. I was part of investigations in the Abu Garab situation in Iraq in which I investigated prisoner escapes.... This situation is not good for the State of New York and should not be brushed aside by the latest “sugar coated” apologies that are happening now.
Let us not FORGET The Albany Times "USELESS" You cannot get to the bottom of all this without talking to the Editors and reporters of the "USELESS"
That old saying goes to mind.
What did the "USELESS" know and when did they know it.
They too could be in this up to their neck.
Can any say "RICO"