March 13, 2008 New York Post column by Frederic Dicker

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I KNEW HE WAS A FRAUD & A HYPOCRITE
FROM THE DAY HE SWAGGEREDINTO
CAPITOL
By FREDRIC
U. DICKER
March 13, 2008 -- ALBANY - | saw many signs early on that Eliot Spitzerwas
to politicswhat SinclairLewis'ElmerGantrywas to religion- a consummate
hypocrite- but few, if any, of his governmentalcolleagues(and even fewer
membersof the largelyfawningpresscorps)appearedable to see it as well.
To manyof them,Spitzercoulddo no wrong.
MORE COVERAGE
NEW PHOTOS:Ashley and her Family
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* Hear the Audio of Paterson's Interviewwith The Post's Fredric Dicker
* Shameful End as Spitz Quits
. PHOTOSof The Gov's Gal
They thoughthe was "right"on the issuesthat supposedlycountedgovernmentinvolvementin the privateeconomy,hostilityto Wall Street,gay
marriage,even morecampaign-finance
restrictions(thatfavorthe wealthylike
Spitzer)and tightergun laws.
So what did it matterif he turnedintoa boorishRichardNixonwhen he
unleashedthe State Policeon his leadingRepublicannemesis,Senate
MajorityLeaderJosephBruno,or repeatedlyviolatedhis self-proclaimed
principlesof governmentopenness,publicaccountability
and an end to
influenceof special interests?
Well, it matteredto me, and I didn'tcare if he was "right"or "wrong"on any
oarticularissue.
I wrote Spi2er off as an agent of reform in the wake of the Dirty Tricks
ScandallastJuly,when he repeatedlyliedto the publicand soughtto smear
me
The Post brokethe storyJuly 5 and two weeks later,our findingswere confirmedin a bombshellreportby
AttorneyGeneralAndrewCuomo.
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Duringthe two weeks leadingup to Cuomo'sreport,Spitzerand his aidesdid their best to spreadrumors
- in the politicalcommunityand amongthe press- that I was merelycarryingwaterfor Bruno,lyingabout
the facts,engagingin a crusadeagainsta "progressive"
Democrat,and supposedlycompromisedby
some unspecifiedrelationship.
When Cuomo'sreportcame out, Spitzerclaimedhis officehad cooperatedfullywith the attorneygeneral.
But the next day, we learnedhis chief-of-staffand his communicationsdirectorhadn'tcooperatedat all.
One may, in fact, have lied underoath.
In the weeks that followed,Spitzerrepeatedlyclaimedto have answeredeveryquestionaboutthe
scandal,and law-enforcement
sourcessaid he then pressuredAlbanyDA DavidSoaresto issuea report
absolvinghim of responsibility.
Now there'sconsiderableevidencethat - surprise- Spitzerwas in on the plotfrom the start.
His penchantfor hypocrisyfirst startedto became clear to me during his second term as attorneygeneral.
As he declaredwar on Wall Street and other corporateabusers,Spitzeralso declaredwar in effect on his
own oath of office:a commitmentto the state and federalconstitutionalguaranteesof the presumptionof
innocence.
Time aftertime with high-profilecorporateofficials- mostconspicuously,
formerAmericanInternational
GroupCEO Maurice"Hank"Greenberg- Spi2er railedon nationaltelevision
that his targetshad broken
the law.
But in most cases - after the damage to reputationswas alreadydone - no chargeswere brought.
From the start of his term, I spotted signs of trouble:
* Spitzertold me that - in a gestureof openness- he would lift some of the harsh"Fort Pataki"security
that had been imposedon the Capitol- well beforethe 9/11 attacks- to help then-Gov.GeorgePataki
avoid contactswith the public.
Spitzerneverdid that,either.
" Another tip-offcame when Spitzer"reformed"the state'sold Ethicsand Lobbyingcommissions.But
Spitzer'ssupposedreform put the formerlysemi-independentagenciesdirectlyunder the governor's
control.
Askedwhy he had done that, Spi2er bluntlyresponded,"BecauseI wantedit" that way.
The EthicsCommission'sfailureto thoroughlyinvestigatethe DirtyTricksScandalmightexplainthe
"wisdom"of his actions.
* Shortly before he took office, I heard Spitzerand his aides speak contemptuouslyof AssemblySpeaker
Sheldon Silver,the governor'smost importantlegislativeally, as the battleover a new state comptroller
emerged.
I thoughtat the time,"lf he's goingto war with Silverbeforehe even takesoffice,how can he hope to win
legislativesupportfor his programs?"
Got that one right!
* | saw and heardSpitzer'snastinesson lnaugurationDay, Jan. 1, 2007,when he gratuitouslyinsulted
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Patakito his face by comparinghis 12 years in officeto the 2O-yearslumberof Rip Van Winkle.
Laterthat month,I spoketo a stunnedAssemblyMinorityLeader,JamesTedisco,who was still
"f- - -ing steamroller."
recoveringfrom the verbaltonguelashingby the newlyself-declared
I thoughtagain,"How can a governorwho is battlingSilverand declaringhimselfa steamrollerever hope
a co-equalbranchof government?"
to get alongwith what is, underour stateConstitution,
* ln February2007 I followedBruno on his Valentine'sDay "peace mission"as a 77-year-oldBruno
,
marcheddown to the ExecutiveChamberwith a bouquetof eight red roses meant as a friendshipoffering
to the still-brand-newgovernor.
Spitzer greeted him with a gratuitouslyinsultingcrack that put the future target of the Dirty Tricks Scandal
on noticethat the governorwas out to kill him politically."Whatare these,one for each of your
to whittledown Bruno'seven-thentenuous
members?"askedthe governor,referringto his determination
Senate majority.
* | certainlyrememberthe repeatedclaimsby Spitzerand his aidesthat the new governorwould rein in
influenceof special-interest
lobbyiststhat turnedAlbanyunderPatakiinto a throwback
the out-of-control
to the days of Boss Tweed.
"He's not goingto allowthem. He's goingto changeallthat,"Spitzer'sthen-spokesman,
DarrenDopp,
told me on severaloccasions.
Now Dopp, after losing his job in the wake of the Dirty Tricks Scandal,works for megalobbyistPatricia
Lynch,who just last Friday threw a $1,0OO-a-ticket
breakfastin Manhattanfor Spitzer.
To me. that said it all.
fredric.dicker@nyp ost.com
MORE: Shameful End As
pitz Quits
PHOTOGALLERY: Spitz-ersRisq And Eall
MORE: The GalWho Laid Gov Low
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