NY State: FBI Investigates Republican Senate Leader

I have written about corruption among the NY State Congressional Republicans. But NY State Republicans seem more and more rotten to the core. Seems that NY State Senate Republican Leader, Joe Bruno, one of the infamous "three men in a room" of NY State politics, is under investigation by the FBI. From Salon.com:

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...

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.

"I wanted to be up front and assure that I have nothing to hide and avoid speculation, unfounded rumors, and distortions," said Bruno...

Notice that he only wanted to be up front AFTER the news got leaked to reporters. In other words, he only likes being up front when he absolutely has no option to keep it hidden. There's more:

Bruno is listed as a consultant to Capital Business Consultants LLC, according to his legislative ethics filing. He said the company provides marketing, business strategy and business development.

"My interests outside the Legislature have all been cleared and approved by the Legislative Ethics Committee," Bruno said. "They're going into the background over the last five or six years into the relationships of my business interest."

Details remain sketchy, but Bruno seemed nervous at the press conference where he announced it. And it seems very likely that the investigation will have something to do with Bruno's VERY close ties with his crony, Jared E. Abbruzzese. Details from before the FBI investigation was revealed can be found here.

Of course Democrats in NY State have their own ethical problems, as I have outlined before. Clarence Norman (in jail) and Alan Hevesi (under investigation) are both examples of Democrats under a cloud. Of course Clarence Norman was indicted and jailed by a Democratic DA and many Democrats are calling for Hevesi to resign. Will we be hearing Republicans calling for the resignation or indictment of their own corrupt members? So far they haven't! So far, across the nation, the Republican Party defends its most corrupt members. Pity Republicans are so much more tolerant of corruption even than Democrats.