The Latest on Choppergate
August 14th, 2007
UPDATE: Since the original posting of this blog entry, the office of the Attorney General has refuted the Sun’s claims in a letter to that paper’s editor.
As Representative Carolyn Maloney, Democrat from Manhattan, comes out in support of Governor Eliot Spitzer, there is new news from the scandal involving the governor, the State Senate majority leader and the use of state aircraft.
Maloney, who agrees with Spitzer that any further investigation should be handled by the State Ethics Commission, said in a prepared statement, “The Senate leadership should stop trying to score political points at the expense of doing the people’s business and instead let the professionals do the investigating.”
Meanwhile, The Sun is back to the original investigation of Majority Leader Joe Bruno, though this time the attack is targeted at Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, according to The Sun, cited a nonexistent document when absolving the Senate majority leader (who is under federal investigation for other wrongdoing prior to this latest skirmish).
Andrew Cuomo, who also has been called out for misuse of government funds, is a possible gubernatorial candidate for 2010.
As the “choppergate” scandal drones on, the magnitude of the political capital at stake for all parties involved is becoming apparent, and it seems victors could be absent from this very political battle.
By Brian Bonci on August 14, 2007, 11:44 amIn category: Albany, Electoral Politics, Eye on Albany, Gotham City | No Comments »



Representative Nydia Velázquez wants to put decision-making for the Iraq war in the hands of the people who are footing th bill for it: U.S. taxpayers. In a press conference at City Hall today, the New York Democrat announced that she has introduced the Opt Out of Iraq War Act of 2007 in the House of Representatives. It would require that the Internal Revenue Service amend its tax forms to include a checkbox for voters to opt out of funding the Iraq war. By ticking the box, the taxpayer would block their individual contributions from being spent in Iraq.
