WHOA. Bruno Being Investigated By The FBI (UPDATED)

i guess now i know why we got all (0.00 / 0)

these google searches in the last hour for "joe bruno investigation". seriously. we got maybe ten of them all of a sudden and i'm thinking "what joe bruno investigation"?

now we know.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 23:01:51 PM UTC

Jinx (0.00 / 0)

You can delete my post, if you want.

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by: pontificator @ Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 23:13:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

the more the merrier i say. (0.00 / 0)

something tells me this will be a big part of TAP's focus for the foreseeable future.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 23:21:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

One thing leads to another... (4.00 / 2)

I'm guessing more than a few blog posts will get filled up with info on Uncle Joe's business dealings.

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see his son Kenny-boy's name come up either. He's been known to have troubles before himself. Seems he left his old job as Rensselaer County D.A. a little early himself.

Then there is Uncle Joe's brother and his state paid office up north (so he wouldn't have to travel so far into Albany).

Wonder if Uncle Joe is a "subject" of the investigation? Wonder who else is a "subject" of the investigation.

We all learned from the Abramoff investigation that not being a "target" is meaningless. The real question is whether he is a "subject."

Peace,

Andrew

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by: Andrew C. White @ Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 23:27:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bring us up to date on Kenny-boy (0.00 / 0)

what say you Andrew...?

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 00:50:54 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Lord! (0.00 / 0)

Where do you start with deez guyz?!

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by: Andrew C. White @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 16:02:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Your keyboard (4.00 / 1)

God's ears, etc.

This could be a real game-changer.

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by: DavidNYC @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:08:01 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bob Dylan.... (0.00 / 0)

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:14:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Another timely dump? The old misdirection play; (4.00 / 2)

Bruno: Welcome everyone and Happy Holidays; by the way I am being investigated. Gotta go now. See you next year when El comes to town for his big day; I think we may need to look into the impeachment of Alan Hevesi. Lots to do next year when this inquiry becomes old news. By the way whoever leaked this to the press may have committed a crime. Will the last reporter out of of the Capital turn off the heat and lights? (We gotta save your tax dollars.)

It's a classic.

All you need is Love.

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by: Manny Love @ Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 23:55:53 PM UTC

For a bloggy newcomer, Dr. Love.... (4.00 / 1)

you catch on quick....

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 00:50:03 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And he is not even a lawyer. (0.00 / 0)

All you need is Love.

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by: Manny Love @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 01:25:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I repeat.... (4.00 / 1)

How does a State Senator afford all this?

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 01:23:08 AM UTC

And you have to wonder (4.00 / 2)

Whether the editors who used that photo were aware of the story then.  From the article:

Bruno has personal ties to several of Evident’s directors, Jared Abbruzzese, one of the company’s founders and a former co-chair, and Wayne Barr - both of whom share the senator’s interest in horse racing.

Abbruzzese is being investigated by the state Lobbying Commission for providing his plane to Bruno for several trips, including a fund-raiser and a tour of several Kentucky horse farms that Barr arranged.

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by: pontificator @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 01:27:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's a Times file photo. (0.00 / 0)

The Times used that same photo in a story they had done about JB a few years back.  I have it in my files somewhere, but can't lay my hands on it at the moment to give that exact cite.

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by: teaparty2 @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 07:08:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Geesh (4.00 / 3)

He seems to be talking in Bizarro-ese when saying the following words:

My style is to be open and honest.  When it was brought to my attention that the inquiry had been leaked to the media, I wanted to be up front and assure that I have nothing to hide and avoid speculation, distortions or unfounded rumors.

Considering that the New York State Legislature is the most secretive and undemocratic state body in the country, his style can be considered many things, anything but open and honest. And color me crazy if I am somewhat skeptical of his claim of being up front after the news was leaked.  But his defense of being a part-time legislator simply undermines the obvious reform measures which need to be implemented. And to advertise the fact that all his business dealings have been approved the Legislative Ethics Committee is completely ludicrous considering that both the Senate and Assembly need to:

Strengthen the Standing Committees so Rank-and-File Members can Force a Hearing or Vote, even over the Objections of the Committee Chair.

How stupid do they think we are?

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by: Kelk @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:16:42 AM UTC

Oink, oink! (4.00 / 1)

The glitch is looking more and more like Tom DeLay (or perhaps a bit less ideologically outspoken version) every day.

An opponent in 2008 will keep him busy in his own district so he can't spend as much time pushing money around like he did this cycle.  That is, if he makes it to 2008.

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by: Scott in NJ @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:41:16 AM UTC

the more we dig into this thing (0.00 / 0)

and the more we learn about the players and about this "consulting company", the more i'm beginning to think ol' joe "the glitch" ain't gonna make it to 2008.

at least i'm beginning to feel hopeful that he won't. from where i sit, he's looking more and more screwed every minute.

can't say i'm not enjoying it.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:50:51 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

JB's "rent" payments from campaign account seem high. (4.00 / 1)

I find it strange that JB has been paying $5,000/month in rent payments from his campaign account to the Rensselaer County Republican Committee for office space in Troy for quite some time.

It's hard to believe that particular money is only for rent, since that seems like quite a steep rate to be paying in a city with so much vacant commercial space.  This payment stream alone amounts to $60,000/yr to RCRC, but you can't see what they do w/ this money because there are no filings visible for them on the State Bd. of Elections website.

After seeing what relatively ordinary legislators like Gonzalez and McLaughlin managed to pull off, it's hard not to let the imagination run with thoughts of what experienced power brokers like Bruno & Silver might be capable of doing w/ all the loot passing through their hands.

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by: teaparty2 @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 07:33:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bruno owns (4.00 / 1)

The Rennselaer County Republican Party. He has bought a few friends on local Democratic Committee's too (take a look at the recent efforts to remove what should have been his 2006 opponent from the ballot). Some of those problem "democrats" have been taken care of... others remain.

But the Rensselaer County Republicans don't do anything without Uncle Joe's permission. They serve at his pleasure. Take a look at The Troy Polloi web site and a certain fellow known as "Three Job Bob" Mirch that gets hammered there on a regular and on-going basis.

Bruno's reign is already coming to an end. The FBI is simply going to hasten his departure from the scene.

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by: Andrew C. White @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 16:10:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

troy polloi (4.00 / 1)

has THE brunogate post of the day so far....

He wanted to be up front about it? Months after the fact? Isn't that like a guy getting caught cheating and then admitting it?

Anyway, there's absolutely no cause for concern. Such probes are common with a man Joe's age. If something is wrong, you want it caught early. Treatment is much more successful if it's caught early. And please, all of you, avoid speculation, rumor and distortions.

heh.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 16:35:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Scott... (0.00 / 0)

...you ready to guest blog? I'm making you GB now.

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:51:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yep n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: Scott in NJ @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 03:17:36 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

you're on... (0.00 / 0)

...now your posts appear on the front page. go for it, my man.

We've got some work ahead of us.

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by: NYBri @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 03:22:04 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

someone pinch me (4.00 / 2)

Governor Spitzer...

Bruno being investigated...

the Albany DA actually putting pressure on a major political player who was stealing our tax dollars....

What next...reform?  Accountability?  Dangerous new waters we are entering.  I say we jump in.

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by: DIA @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:42:23 AM UTC

i hear ya. (0.00 / 0)

i know you've been beating this drum for quite some time now. we're totally the new kids on the block here, but, goddamn it looks like we picked a pretty good time to hop on the bandwagon.

the future looks bright. i hope we all have the wherewithal to see this stuff through.

the proverbial iron is hot. let's all do what we can to bang the freakin' crap out of it.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:47:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

dare we say... (4.00 / 1)

J... J... Je... Jenn... ings?

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by: Andrew C. White @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 16:12:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

FBI (4.00 / 2)

One of the things that has amazed me during the Bush years is that the FBI seems to be playing it fairly straight and actually doing their job.  They are going after Republicans big-time, and I find this puzzling.  With all the corruption and cronyism in Bushworld, it is hard to believe they didn't "fix" the FBI also.

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by: global yokel @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 03:43:32 AM UTC

Caution (0.00 / 0)

The Feds supply the guys who keep Bush safe, and he is one paranoid dude. I think you've found the one group of people he doesn't want to piss off.

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by: MattK D1 @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 08:18:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

According to our hometown Poughkeepsie Journal... (4.00 / 1)

.... crickets chirping ...

Really I can't find any mention in this mornings ON LINE edition! Hundreds of other mentions on google news around the state and country. Obviously continuing their fab reporting on the NY State Senate.

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by: am @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 13:38:04 PM UTC

And Joe's hometown Troy Record (0.00 / 0)

says Uncle Joe's been "cleared" in the headlines.

No mention of being investigated... straight to "cleared."

Anyone covering the fact that in New York's "3 men in a room" government Uncle Joe owns the ethics commission that "cleared" him? It's kinda like Lucky Luciano going to The Commission to get their approval for him to steal.

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by: Andrew C. White @ Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 16:24:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]