NY POST EDITORIAL: Dirty Tricks, Dirty Probes (MORE, CLICK HERE)

DIRTY TRICKS, DIRTY PROBES
New York Post Editorial - April 2, 2008

It's quite clear why the state Commission of Investigation yesterday chose to begin "investigating the investigations" of Eliot Spitzer's Dirty Tricks: Those "probes" reek of coverup. That includes the "review" by Spitzer's hand-picked inspector general, Kristine Hamann; the one by his friends at the Public Integrity Commission - and especially the one (er, two) by his political ally, Albany DA David Soares. These "sleuths," beholden to Spitzer, took pains to hide the truth. Now, someone needs to expose them.

Their sham inquiries, of course, weren't the only "probes" into Spitzer's Dirty Tricks, which had State Police spying on Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo did a crackerjack job, finding last July that Spitzer & Co. had acted "improperly." But the AG, lacking subpoena power, couldn't dig to the bottom. Monday, Gov. Paterson asked Cuomo to finish his probe - this time, with full prosecutorial power. Cuomo accepted the job yesterday, vowing to "restore New Yorkers' trust in their government." But that still leaves Larry, Curly and Moe - er, Soares, Hamann and the Public Integrity Commission. All three were hopelessly conflicted from the start:

*** Soares owed much to Spitzer - starting with the former gov's endorsement of him in his '04 run for DA. The two also shared support from the Working Families Party - which spent $165,000 on the DA's race. Some $81,500 of that, in turn, came from the Drug Policy Alliance Network, a radical left-wing group that opposes the war on drugs and is funded by even more left-wing billionaire George Soros. No wonder Soares tried to whitewash his fellow Dem and WFP candidate's Dirty Tricks, claiming that the former gov was entitled to target Bruno. Soares changed his tune after Spitzer quit - but still went easy on his ol' pal.
*** Hamann, meanwhile, owed her job to Spitzer. She never completed a probe, but she let everyone think she had.
*** Spitzer picked most of the Public Integrity Commission's members. Its executive director's law firm backed him financially, and the panel reportedly conferred with his folks on its "probe."

So let's see what kind of job the Commission on Investigation can do. Hey, if its probe of the other probes falls short, maybe Andrew Cuomo can probe that.