Sheldon Silver’s off the hook again.
A state ethics watchdog has declined to launch a probe into the Assembly speaker’s use of taxpayer funds to settle the lurid sexual-harassment claims against Assemblyman Vito Lopez, sources told The Post.
Earlier, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan, serving as special prosecutor in the case, made the same decision to focus only on Lopez, the embattled exBrooklyn Democratic chief.
Silver came under withering criticism for authorizing a $103,080 payout to a two of Lopez’s staffers who claimed he created a hostile work atmosphere thick with cringe-worthy antics.
Silver’s escape from the probe by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) is unlikely to disappoint Gov. Cuomo, several Democratic insiders say.
With no heir apparent for the speaker and Cuomo enjoying the relative order Silver imposes on the Assembly, the governor doesn’t want the Manhattan Democrat going anywhere.
“I think he’s got Shelly right where he wants him right now,” one insider said after seeing Cuomo and Silver at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, this week.
“I almost cried watching Shelly kiss his ass.”
Speaking of the ethics inquiry, Silver spokesman Michael Whyland said, “We are cooperating fully.”
Silver remains well-liked among rank-and-file Assembly Democrats, and insiders maintain that his enemies don’t have the juice to pull off a coup.
“The speaker has made it very clear that he desires a thorough investigation by JCOPE to get all the facts out regarding this matter and urges all the members of the commission to vote for a full inquiry,” Whyland said.
Revamped by Cuomo last year, the 14-member commission still has the option of conducting an investigation into Silver’s activities.
The National Organization for Women and the citizens group Common Cause New York filed formal complaints with the commission and requested that Silver’s actions be scrutinized.
While Silver is in the clear for now, Lopez remains in the cross hairs.
Meanwhile, high-powered lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents Lopez’s accusers, said her firm has been subpoenaed by the watchdog agency and is “communicating” with the commission “to ensure our cooperation.”