State probe: Four Spitzer appointees may have broken law

ALBANY - The state Public Integrity Commission on Thursday charged four former state officials - but not former Gov. Eliot Spitzer - with misusing state police to discredit the governor's political foe, the first charges to come out of the year-old scandal that paralyzed state government.

The commission found insufficient evidence to charge anyone else but harshly criticized Spitzer and his administration for a lack of cooperation in the investigation despite public promises to cooperate fully. The Spitzer administration claimed executive privilege and sought to withhold 109 documents “without legitimate basis,” according to the panel's report released Thursday.

The report also complained that the executive chamber created “numerous improper obstacles” to the investigation by withholding documents and gradually releasing information over 10 months.