I agree with the Daily News on this one, it's been clear from the start that Bruno was caught red-handed and went straight into the typical Republican attack the messenger mode, to blur the truth and slime the accuser...And why is the Bush Administration Justice Dept dragging their feet on his FBI investigation...?
Read original..
Thursday, October 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Editorial
It's increasingly evident that state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno ripped off taxpayers by using state aircraft, at thousands of dollars per trip, for predominantly political travel. Now that's a scandal deserving of investigation with subpoenas and sworn testimony.
Newly disclosed records show that Bruno's abuse of the state air fleet goes way beyond three trips that set off the Troopergate kerfuffle. Itineraries uncovered by the Albany Times Union show that Bruno's flights go back at least three years. Many were heavy on politics and devoid of any justification for commandeering aircraft at taxpayer expense. This type of travel has now been banned by the Ethics Commission.
Take Bruno's chopper jaunt of Sept. 28 and 29, 2004. His six scheduled events included three fund-raisers and a meeting with Independence Party activists. Then there was Feb. 1, 2005, when Bruno flew to Manhattan and back to Albany for a single dinner meeting at Bistro Le Steak, according to the itineraries. Especially intriguing is a 2004 trip on which Bruno was to lunch privately with horse-racing types - including businessman Jared Abbruzzese, whose financial dealings with Bruno are the subject of an FBI probe.
The state police under former Gov. George Pataki kept track of where they chauffeured Bruno. It's much the same thing the Spitzer administration did - only to be accused, ridiculously of "spying" on Bruno.
So instead of barraging the governor's office with subpoenas, the Senate Investigation Committee should go after the real scandal: Where did Bruno fly, and what does he owe the taxpayers?
