Gov. Spitzer is on his way out, but an investigation into his Dirty Tricks Scandal – the political one, that is – will be sticking around for a while.
The state Senate Investigation Committee will continue its legal fight to see documents from Spitzer’s office regarding Troopergate, its lawyer said in court yesterday.
Lawyer David Lewis told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Braun that the upcoming change in governors will not affect the probe. Under investigation is the Spitzer administration’s role in having State Police compile information regarding the use of the state air fleet by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
Braun was holding a hearing on court actions by the governor’s office and former Spitzer aide Darren Dopp to quash the committee’s subpoenas for documents, e-mails and text messages relating to the scandal.
Dietrich Snell, representing the governor’s office, accused the Republican committee of trying “to harass, embarrass and pursue a politically motivated crusade against the executive branch,” and urged his adversary to heed Bruno’s call to “move on” in the wake of Spitzer’s resignation.
Lewis said the investigation was not politically motivated and added, “If we decide that somebody’s gone so we don’t need to worry about this happening again, we’re not protecting the public.”
Braun reserved decision but urged both sides to try to work together to reach an agreement on what documents could be turned over.