Spin Cycle

Why didn't Eliot Spitzer get charged with violating the Public Officers Law, while several people working under him did? Here's the official answer, from the report:

The failure to supervise subordinates, without more, does not violate the Public Officers Law. Similarly, the release of information or documents to the media about a political opponent, without knowledge that such information was confidential or improperly compiled or created (here, through the State Police), does not violate the Public Officers Law. With these standards in mind, and after full consideration of the record evidence, including thousands of documents and over 3,000 pages of sworn testimony, the Commission has determined that presently there is insufficient record evidence to support a charge that any person, other than Baum, Dopp, Howard and Felton, violated the Public Officers Law.

So, their position seems to be that the key misdeed was the creation of records on Bruno's movements, and that they don't have evidence Spitzer knew the material was being improperly compiled.