Sheldon Silver: Gov fears speaker is toast (Chad Rachman/New York Post)
Subpoenas are flying in the expanded ethics probe into Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s alleged sexual harassment of women, as a state panel investigates the roles played by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the offices of Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Gov. Cuomo, meanwhile, wondered whether Silver will survive the scandal.
A source with ties to Cuomo said the governor is concerned that Silver may not keep his post.
Aides to the governor have gone as far to say that “Shelly is going down” or, at best, is “damaged goods.”
Complicating the political landscape is that there’s no one in line to replace Silver, who has run the Assembly for 18 years.
A Cuomo spokesman shot down reports of his private musings as “made up” and “totally false.”
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics has issued subpoenas to several staffers in Silver’s office, another source said.
Two attorneys in DiNapoli’s office, chief counsel Nancy Groenwegen and lawyer John Dalton, also received subpoenas, sources said.
The legal requests for information went out hours after JCOPE’s board voted Monday to authorize a sweeping probe into the actions of everyone involved.
Silver’s office had consulted with DiNapoli aides before agreeing to a secret, $103,080 settlement involving harassment claims filed by two women who worked in Lopez’s office.
“We are fully cooperating with JCOPE in the subpoenas,” said DiNapoli spokeswoman Jennifer Freeman.
William Collins, an attorney in Silver’s office, had sent several copies of draft “confidential settlement” agreements to Groenwegen, as well as to Arlene Smoler, a top labor lawyer in the Attorney General’s Office.
Schneiderman has released documents showing the extent of his office’s involvement.
“I’d appreciate any thoughts either of you might have on this draft,” Collins said in a May 29, 2012, e-mail sent to Smoler and Groenwegen.
Silver, realizing he may be in the political fight of his life, hired Stu Loeser, Mayor Bloomberg’s former press secretary, as a media consultant to address the crisis. Loeser’s wife, Jessica, is a former top aide to Silver.
Representatives for Silver and Schneiderman declined to comment on the subpoenas, other than to say they are cooperating.
A lawyer for one of the alleged victims applauded JCOPE’s massive probe.
“We believe there should be a full investigation of the handling of this matter by Speaker Silver, the attorney general and the comptroller,” said lawyer Gloria Allred.
“We think that the public has a right to know which state employees were involved in decision making in this important matter,” Allred added.
The settlements involving Lopez came to the surface after Silver publicly censured Lopez on Aug. 24.
Following a probe by the Assembly’s Ethics Committee, Silver blasted Lopez for allegedly groping two other women, not involved in the settlements.
Silver has since demanded that Lopez, who quit his post as Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman, resign his Assembly seat.
Lopez, who has said he won’t step down, declined to comment yesterday.
Additional reporting by Liz Sadler