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Today’s Times presents the worst-case scenario for our troubled governor: multiple, separate, concurrent, resource-draining, agenda-stalling investigations. After Attorney General Andrew Cuomo lit the fuse last week, who else may step up to take a crack at Spitzer — for what we must remind you, perhaps a bit defensively, was not a crime, not even a misdemeanor, but simply a kind of unpunishable unpleasantness — and how?
1. First up are the Senate Republicans. Joe Bruno’s posse has the most to lose if Spitzer’s zeal isn’t reined in. Their latest brainstorm, on Monday, was to try to hand Cuomo special-prosecutor powers to investigate Spitzer further. One problem: Spitzer is the one who has to approve the request. Shockingly, he declined. The Senate GOP’s next step would be to proceed via its own investigations committee — most of whose members are Bruno appointees. Awkward! Or perfect.
2. Then there’s the Albany County D.A. The office of David Soares, a Democrat, says he will “comment further” on the case this week but he isn’t joining the scrum yet — even as the Senate Republicans are pushing him to do just that.
3. And don’t forget the State Ethics Commission. These people made quick work of Alan Hevesi with their scathing report, and Spitzer sure looks like scathing-report material. Their probe is in the “preliminary review” stage.
4. Plus the State Inspector General. A Spitzer appointee, Kristine Hamann, says she concurs with Cuomo’s conclusions and will leave things at that for the time being.
5. And finally there’s the State Commission of Investigation. The what? This somewhat obscure body was put together in the fifties to combat the Mob and keep tabs on the governor. Its spokesman (they have a spokesman?) declined to comment. Presumably because he knows better than to start talking to reporters. Capice?
