It all came crashing down for state Sen. Malcolm Smith yesterday, as federal agents arrested him for allegedly plotting to buy the mayor’s office. He and his pals, including City Councilman Dan Halloran, face charges of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion and other crimes.
But no one should be surprised to find Malcolm in the muddle: This arrest caps a rotten career for Smith, once the highest-ranking black legislator in state history.
Indeed, Smith has been linked to so many dubious schemes the FBI must have had an entire branch on his tail: Bid-rigging for the Aqueduct racino. Co-founding a Katrina charity that saw nearly $30,000 vanish. Diverting campaign funds for lavish personal trips and meals. Even opening (and then ruining) a Queens charter school in what appears to be a plot to boost home sales for a developer and big-time donor.
Halloran appears no cleaner. When first drawn into the scheme, he was meeting an undercover FBI agent at a Queens diner to take bribes in a separate plot, the feds say.
Graft on top of graft on top of graft.
Smith’s friends now are abandoning him like rats. Gov. Cuomo said he has “zero tolerance for any violation of the public integrity and the public trust.” But Cuomo himself seemed OK with the arrangement that gave Smith considerable power.
Smith and the pols arrested with him will be the ones facing charges. But you’ve got to wonder about those who served as Smith’s enablers: Will they pay a price?