ALBANY - The state Commission of Investigation will examine previous and current probes into whether two of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's aides tried to sabotage a political opponent with the help of the state police, agency Chairman Alfred Lerner said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. David Paterson - who replaced Spitzer after he was connected to a prostitution ring and resigned in disgrace - has asked Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate the state police to determine whether politics has inappropriately interfered with their work.
State statute gives the Commission of Investigation broad authority to look into potential corruption, fraud and mismanagement in government.
The commission won't evaluate whether the Democratic Spitzer administration acted illegally or unethically when state police were asked to collect Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's travel records.
Instead, it will review investigations by Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares, state Inspector General Kristine Hamann and the state Commission on Public Integrity. The commission's investigation could eventually branch out to other agencies that probed the scandal, including the attorney general's office.
“We are concerned that the multiplicity of investigations has been somewhat dysfunctional,” said Lerner, who was appointed by former Gov. George Pataki, a Republican. “As a result of that, we thought it would be appropriate for us to determine whether these processes could be improved. It's no secret that many people in this state have lost confidence in these investigations.”
Spitzer has denied he directed the gathering of any documents concerning Bruno's flights and said he didn't order the release of any documents to the news media.
Last week, Soares issued a report saying Spitzer may have lied when he told investigators he wasn't involved and that Spitzer could have been indicted had he not resigned. Darren Dopp, Spitzer's former communications director and one of the aides implicated in the plot, told Soares that Spitzer was directly involved with the release of the records.
Those new revelations seem to contradict a report Soares issued in September, saying no one in the Spitzer administration acted improperly and he found no evidence of a plot to discredit Bruno.
Hamann was also criticized for not conducting a full investigation into the matter, relying instead on information from Cuomo's office and reaching the same conclusion as the attorney general: there was misconduct, but no violation of laws. At the time, Hamann, who was appointed by Spitzer, said going further with the investigation would create a potential conflict of interest.
The Public Integrity Commission still hasn't completed its now nine-month old investigation. Spitzer appointed the commission's chairman, executive director and a majority of its members.
Separately, Paterson officials would not be more specific Tuesday about why the governor sought the investigation by Cuomo into the state police, first reported Tuesday by the New York Post.
“There have been complaints and anecdotal evidence of political interference into the state police,” Cuomo said. “The governor wants a state police force that is beyond reproach and is totally free of any political interference, and that's why he asked me to undertake the investigation.”
Cuomo said his office will talk to people in every troop and won't limit the investigation to state police employees. He wouldn't say who else he might interview.
“We will fully cooperate with any inquiry the attorney general may conduct into these matters,” said spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner.
The State Trooper's Police Benevolent Association released a statement Tuesday discounting the likelihood that state police have been influenced politically - a complaint Cuomo said he has heard from state lawmakers.
The PBA also rejected the notion that troopers on Spitzer's security detail were involved in the prostitution scandal that ended his political career.
State statute gives the Commission of Investigation broad authority to look into potential corruption, fraud and mismanagement in government.
The commission won't evaluate whether the Democratic Spitzer administration acted illegally or unethically when state police were asked to collect Senate Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's travel records.
Instead, it will review investigations by Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares, state Inspector General Kristine Hamann and the state Commission on Public Integrity. The commission's investigation could eventually branch out to other agencies that probed the scandal, including the attorney general's office.
“We are concerned that the multiplicity of investigations has been somewhat dysfunctional,” said Lerner, who was appointed by former Gov. George Pataki, a Republican. “As a result of that, we thought it would be appropriate for us to determine whether these processes could be improved. It's no secret that many people in this state have lost confidence in these investigations.”
Spitzer has denied he directed the gathering of any documents concerning Bruno's flights and said he didn't order the release of any documents to the news media.
Last week, Soares issued a report saying Spitzer may have lied when he told investigators he wasn't involved and that Spitzer could have been indicted had he not resigned. Darren Dopp, Spitzer's former communications director and one of the aides implicated in the plot, told Soares that Spitzer was directly involved with the release of the records.
Those new revelations seem to contradict a report Soares issued in September, saying no one in the Spitzer administration acted improperly and he found no evidence of a plot to discredit Bruno.
Hamann was also criticized for not conducting a full investigation into the matter, relying instead on information from Cuomo's office and reaching the same conclusion as the attorney general: there was misconduct, but no violation of laws. At the time, Hamann, who was appointed by Spitzer, said going further with the investigation would create a potential conflict of interest.
The Public Integrity Commission still hasn't completed its now nine-month old investigation. Spitzer appointed the commission's chairman, executive director and a majority of its members.
Separately, Paterson officials would not be more specific Tuesday about why the governor sought the investigation by Cuomo into the state police, first reported Tuesday by the New York Post.
“There have been complaints and anecdotal evidence of political interference into the state police,” Cuomo said. “The governor wants a state police force that is beyond reproach and is totally free of any political interference, and that's why he asked me to undertake the investigation.”
Cuomo said his office will talk to people in every troop and won't limit the investigation to state police employees. He wouldn't say who else he might interview.
“We will fully cooperate with any inquiry the attorney general may conduct into these matters,” said spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner.
The State Trooper's Police Benevolent Association released a statement Tuesday discounting the likelihood that state police have been influenced politically - a complaint Cuomo said he has heard from state lawmakers.
The PBA also rejected the notion that troopers on Spitzer's security detail were involved in the prostitution scandal that ended his political career.
