Spitzer Aides Cited for Use of Police to Tarnish Bruno

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s aides, including one of his closest advisers, improperly used the State Police to gather information about the governor’s chief rival, Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate majority leader, in an effort to plant a negative story about Mr. Bruno and damage him politically, according to a report on Monday by the attorney general’s office.

Spitzer aides, chiefly his communications director, Darren Dopp, concocted a false story for why the information was being gathered, saying the governor’s office acted after receiving a press request seeking details of Mr. Bruno’s use of state aircraft, the report said.

Mr. Dopp later made misleading statements about the involvement of the governor’s office in the effort, the report indicates. The report concludes that Mr. Bruno’s use of the helicopters — on trips that included both political and legislative events — was proper.

Minutes after the report was made public, Mr. Spitzer announced he was suspending Mr. Dopp indefinitely without pay. He said he was also dismissing his liaison to the State Police, the assistant secretary for public safety, William Howard, and moving him to an unspecified job outside the governor’s office.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/nyregion/24spitzer.html?hp

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I hope this stupidity doesn't tarnish Spitzer. Good for him that he immediately suspended these guys unlike most Repubs.

[robcon]

1. The scandal doesn't really touch Spitzer

No evidence he was involved, but his aides were up to no good, IMO.