FBI investigates N.Y. Senate leader

[maddezmom]

ALBANY, N.Y. - The majority leader of the New York state Senate announced that the FBI is investigating him and his private consulting business.

Joseph Bruno, who will be the state's top Republican in January, said Tuesday he was told by the FBI in late spring that he was being investigated. The 77-year-old lawmaker said he doesn't know exactly what investigators are looking for, but he has cooperated.

He was told previously that he was not a target of the investigation, but said he wasn't sure if that had changed.

Bruno, who became majority leader in 1994, said he decided to make the announcement after learning news of the investigation had been leaked to reporters.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061220/ap_on_re_us/ny_senate_leader_investigation

[Danascot]

1. Bruno and Featherstonehaugh

had a business venture together - a state senator and a lobbyist. Why doesn't NYS have a law against this? I don't remember Featherstonehaugh asking me to get in on a business venture. What reason could there possibly be for a lobbyist to bring a state official into a business other than as a favor that could be called in sometime in the future? And why wouldn't Bruno know that even if everything was legit, it looks REALLY bad.

I thought Bruno wasn't too bad for a repug. I must have been delusional.

[Danascot]

3. E. Stewart Jones, Jr, Bruno's atty

said that because state legislators are PART-TIME OFFICIALS it's OK to have outside business interests. Hahahaha! Good one Stewie! You're your own straight man!

E. Stewart Jr was most recently in the news saying his client poor John McSlimey was being vilified because a police report of a 911 call from his wife asking from help because he was "dragging her around the house" surfaced. If you have to hire E. Stewart Jr it's as good as admitting you are guilty of whatever the accusations are.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. He's right

We do have a part-time legislature and they are entitled to earn outside income.

[Danascot]

5. I know it's legally a part-time job

but that's pretty ridiculous. The responsibility and demands of the position make it a full time job and most legislators treat it as such. Two of the local reps I know personally, McEneny and Canestrari, work almost every waking hour. The part time thing dates from quieter times when they had to get home to work their farms in between sessions and the only reason it hasn't been changed is because it's the legislators themselves who would have to pass a law making it full time and a fair number want to have outside business interests without any conflicts. I don't have a huge problem with that as long as there's no potential for conflict with their official duties. The problem in this instance is when elected officials are in business with lobbyists. The potential for misbehavior is almost a certainty. I think the standard should be not only restrict any potential conflict but also even the appearance of a conflict. I guess that's a quaint idea in the wake of the last 5 years.

[Danascot]

2. A few links related to the story

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=546244&category=New%20York%20State&BCCode=&newsdate=12/20/2006

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=547032

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=547033

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=546686