Gov. Eliot Spitzer released a statement responding to Albany County District Attorney David Soares’ report on Troopergate, in which the DA concluded, as in the attorney general’s July report, that there was no wrongdoing on the part of top aides to the governor.

Here’s what he said:

“Today, District Attorney David Soares concluded not only that there was no illegal conduct in the collection and distribution of information regarding Senator Bruno’s use of state aircraft, but that, to the contrary, all the participants were acting within their authority.

“The report makes clear that efforts by officials in my Administration to disclose accurate information about the potential misuse of taxpayer dollars and responsive actions by the State Police were perfectly legal. It was also legal and proper for the Executive Chamber and the State Police to evaluate the use of state resources by state officials and generate records related to that use.

“For the past two months I have patiently awaited the conclusion of this investigation. I have respected the integrity of the process, cooperated fully and have limited my remarks.

“When Attorney General Cuomo released the first report on this matter in July the conclusion was the same with regard to legal conduct, yet it revealed actions that clearly should have been handled differently. For their errors in judgment, I sanctioned two individuals.

“I have felt great disappointment at seeing this situation distract from the good work of many hard working people and a productive first year. The public deserved a thorough review of this matter and that has occurred. The public now deserves a government that gets back to business. Efforts to continue politicizing what has been dealt with by appropriate law enforcement officials, will be blatant attempts to avoid responsibility for the people’s business—work that is desperately needed to rebuild our economy, ensure excellence in our schools, provide health insurance to every child and make New York the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family.”

Albany County District Attorney David Soares wrapped up his lengthy press conference on his report regarding the Troopergate scandal.

Soares was questioned by reporters on why he didn’t subpoena Gov. Eliot Spitzer and other players in the scandal, but Soares said he did not find any criminal wrongdoing, so convening a grand jury or issuing subpoenas would be a “fishing expedition.”

He reiterated that Spitzer’s aides were within their right to seek travel documents regarding use of state aircraft by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

“All of the individuals who were the subject of our inquiry, who we interviewed, were all acting with the scope of their official responsibilities,” he said.

And he also said he did not believe that Spitzer aides were out to damage Bruno.

“I do not believe that there was a plot to smear Senator Bruno,” he said. “However, what I believe is irrelevant to the overall analysis as to whether or not … we could assign criminal liabilities.”

Albany County District Attorney is holding a press conference this morning on Troopergate. He announced last night that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s aides, who released information meant to damage the reputation of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rensselaer County.

Bruno said the governor will have to speak publicly and under oath about the Troopergate scandal before he can put it behind him.

The governor made 150 recommendations yesterday for improving local government efficiency. Among them are proposals to share jails, merging the city and town of Batavia, Genesee County,  and dissolving Tioga County in the Southern Tier.

Spitzer Budget Director Paul Francis said yesterday that money is tight and developing a 2008-09 budget is going to be a difficult process.

Advocates for paid family leave pleaded their case at a public hearing held by Senate Democrats yesterday.

New York has a better-than-average lawsuit climate from a business perspective, but lawsuits are causing a shortage of ob-gyns.

Officials at an aging conference in Ithaca County said the increase in New York’s elderly population will put a greater strain on social services.

New York is rejecting millions of dollars in federal grants for abstinence-only sex education in schools.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce today a new Department of Motor Vehicles policy that will let illegal immigrants get New York drivers’ licences.
The New York Coalition for Immigrants’ Rights to Drivers’ Licences is applauding the move and holding a press conference today in Manhattan after Spitzer plans to announce the policy at noon in Manhattan.
According to the New York Sun, starting in 2008, the Department of Motor Vehicles will accept foreign passports and birth certificates from immigrants as proofs of identification for new license applications.

The Albany County district attorney just released a statement saying that two aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer did not commit any crime when they compiled travel records from the State Police on Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
“This office found no illegal conduct,â€? stated District Attorney P. David Soares, a Democrat. “To the contrary, we found that the governor, his staff, and the New York State Police were acting within their authority in compiling and releasing documents to the media concerning the use of state aircraft.â€?
In July, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, found the aides acted improperly when they allegedly plotted to damage Bruno. Yet Cuomo also found no laws to be broken.
“The Governors Office and the New York State Police have cooperated fully with our review,” Soares said, “including a voluntary appearance by the Governor. In addition, they provided all documents and testimony we requested and needed to complete our review.”
Soares is planning a 11 a.m. press conference Friday to release his report on the scandal.

The chairman of the state Ethics Commission, John Feerick, announced this afternoon that the work of the Ethics and Lobbying commissions would continue uninterrupted as they cease to be independent agencies tomorrow and are combined to form a new Commission on Public Integrity.

“The work of the two Commissions will continue uninterrupted, as required by the Public Employee Reform Act of 2007. As the law states, the work of both commissions ‘may be conducted and completed . . . in the same manner and under the same terms and conditions and with the same effect as if conducted and completed by the former temporary state commission on lobbying and the state ethics commission,’” Feerick said in a statement.

The Ethics Commission is investigating Troopergate, in which aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer conspired to release information that would politically damage Spitzer’s lead rival, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

There has been some concern and uncertainty about how the two agencies would make the transition and what would happen to existing employees. The Commission on Public Integrity will be located at 540 Broadway in Albany, so the offices of the both agencies will be moved there. Staff will continue working in their current offices until they move the to the second and third floors of 540 Broadway in a few weeks, Feerick said. Meanwhile, the new office will be open starting Monday.

“This new location will accommodate the staff of both commissions and allow for additional staff to be added,” Feerick said.

Feerick thanked David Grandeau, head of the Lobbying Commission, for his work. Grandeau does not have a job at the new agency. Herbert Teitelbaum, executive director of the Ethics Commission, has been on the job for a few months and “has done an excellent job in working to combine the staffs of the two commissions, developing new space and handling many other management details …” Feerick said.

The governor’s office is saying little so far on a report this morning that Gov. Eliot Spitzer submitted to questions yesterday by Albany County investigators in the Troopergate matter.
“The DA has asked that everyone respect his process until the report comes out, and so we’re doing that by referring those questions back to his office,” said spokeswoman Christine Anderson.
The DA’s office said “Over the past few days, there have been an increasing number of inquiries into our review of the actions of Governor Spitzer and his staff. At this time, I again ask that you please respect our process. All interested parties will be notified when the review has been completed. Thank you.”
Albany County District Attorney David Soares is expected to release as soon as tomorrow a report on his investigation into whether Spitzer aides broke the law when they had the State Police prepare travel documents to damage Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
Spitzer is scheduled to speak this afternoon to the New York Association of Counties annual convention.

Senate Investigations Committee member Thomas Duane, D-Manhattan, who has been vociferous in his criticism of the GOP-dominated panel’s probe of Troopergate, sent a letter today to committee Chairman George Winner, R-Elmira, about the Senate’s hiring special counsel. Joseph diGenova, a former federal prosecutor, will be paid up to $500,000 in state funds for his troubles.

“This is arguably unconstitutional and completely unacceptable,” Duane wrote. “It is my belief that this expenditure of public monies violates the state constitution, given that it is clearly and unequivocally made solely to pursue a partisan undertaking by the Senate Republican Conference without consultation with the Democratic members of the committee.”

Duane wrote that the “enormous expenditure would be an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars,” especially considering there are two non-partisan investigations of Troopergate (the state Ethics Commission and Albany County District Attorney David Soares’ office). The state attorney general issued a report in July on the matter, in which he said top aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer conspired to release information that would be politically damaging to Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Rensselaer County Republican. The staffers provided the media with details of Bruno’s use of state aircraft, including on three occasions when he attended political fundraisers.

Over the summer, Democratic senators secured the (pro-bono) services of attorney Joseph Sandler, a heavy hitter for the Democratic National Committee.

The state Senate this afternoon announced that former U.S Attorney Joseph E. diGenova has been appointed by the Senate as a “special counsel” to probe Troopergate.

DiGenova, as Gannett News Service in Albany reported earlier this week, served as U.S. attorney in Washington D.C. under former President Ronald Reagan from 1983 to 1988.

In 1992, he was named an independent prosecutor to investigate whether the George H.W. Bush administration illegally searched Bill
Clinton’s passport files during the election campaign.

“We look forward to Mr. diGenova’s counsel as we continue to pursue the unanswered questions and suspicions surrounding the conduct of the Spitzer administration,” said state Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira, who heads the Senate Investigations Committee.

Winner said in a news release that diGenova will help guide the Senate’s investigation into a
plot by Spitzer’s aides to use State Police to create travel documents to damage Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rennselaer County.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer today announced that the “I Love New York” campaign has partnered with JetBlue Airways and Zipcar to offer discounted travel for downstate residents looking to visit upstate this fall.

JetBlue is featuring a 72 hour sale, with $30 base fares each way for travel on certain days of the week between JFK and Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse. New Zipcar members will receive $30 of free driving starting today. Zipcar is also featuring ten cars wrapped with the “I Love New York” logo, and is reducing weekday fares through October 31st.

Amtrak will also offer a 20% discount for rail travel within New York State through an “I Love New York” discount code.