Legal Commentary

Spitzer Administration Used Police to Spy on Political Rival

By TChris

Eliot Spitzer's downfall was his involvement in a prostitution ring, but this allegation is much more troubling:

Four Spitzer administration officials violated the state’s ethics law when they used the State Police last summer to gather travel documents they hoped would tarnish Joseph L. Bruno, then the State Senate majority leader, according to a report released on Thursday by the State Commission on Public Integrity.

The report drew on 3,000 pages of testimony and thousands of internal documents, and depicts an administration on a war footing, with Gov. Eliot Spitzer seething over attacks from Mr. Bruno and eager to strike back.

Spitzer always postured himself as being all about law and order. His administration's misuse of the state police "to gather and publicize sensitive information about Senator Bruno’s travel" further tarnishes that image.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 25, 2008 (boomark / email).