Gov. Eliot Spitzer is likely to ask state investigators to scrutinize a series of taxpayer-financed helicopter flights and car rides taken by the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, and his staff, The New York Times reported Monday.
But Bruno’s top spokesman, John McArdle, called such a move politically motivated and said the senator had done nothing improper, the paper reported.
The flights, along with car rides provided by the state police, were the subject of a report Sunday in The Times Union of Albany. The newspaper obtained records of helicopter flights the senator took from Albany to New York City in May that coincided with fund-raisers, including a state party dinner featuring Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Such flights are supposed to be used for official state business. The purpose of the trips was “legislative business,” The Times Union reported citing a document that bore Bruno’s signature.
“We signed off on the use of the helicopter with the assurance that it was for legislative business,” said Darren Dopp, a spokesman for the governor. He said it was “extremely likely” that the matter would be referred to either the attorney general, the inspector general or a local district attorney -- or a combination of such officials -- as early as Monday, The Times reported.
But state law does not spell out how official business and fund-raising might intersect on such trips. McArdle vigorously defended his boss, saying that in each of the three trips highlighted by the newspaper Bruno conducted state business, The Times reported.
“There was no use of the state helicopter for political fund-raising,” said McArdle to The Times, who was present on some of the flights. “He meets with business groups, business leaders, civic organizations, editorial boards. Every trip we take includes those things.”-New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants
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