Damn Yankees

I dropped by the New York State Commission on Public Integrity this afternoon but discovered I was too late for the hearing regarding Gov. Paterson's allegedly illegal solicitation of Yankees World Series tickets. I made do with interviewing the commission's spokesman, Walter Ayres, who remains ever gracious despite my continued skepticism about some of the things his bosses do. He did explain a few things, i.e. that the commission had referred to the attorney general a potential perjury case against the governor, which former Chief Judge Judith Kaye is investigating at the attorney general's behest. The commission itself retains jurisdiction over the alleged solicitation, which would be a noncriminal violation of the public officers law (although carrying a hefty $93,000 fine, according to the Times link above). The commission does not seem to have a persuasive explanation of why it didn't agree to delay proceedings on the civil matter until Kaye completes her criminal investigation. Paterson's lawyers had requested the delay, but not in a sufficiently formal manner to satisfy the commission

The solicitation case also seems weak because it hinges on whether Paterson (plus his son, a friend and two staffers) was at the game in his official capacity. He presumably thought he was, and while Ayres notes he didn't give a speech there or throw out a pitch, those do not seem to be things the law should require or encourage. Who needs more blather from pols at ball games? They've been going to such events forever, and I doubt many ever paid with their personal money. Ayres cites the 2007 ethics law as tightening things up, and makes the valid point that the commission is not supposed to give a pass to the powerful. But even if Paterson did perjure himself when he perceived this could be trouble, it would remind me of Bill Clinton's offense in the Monica Lewinsky matter --- not necessarily something worthy of so much high powered investigation.

Comments

[Johannah Turner]

It's lunacy to bring ethics and perjury charges, spend the national/state treasury, bring government to a halt and engage the populace with investigation/prosecution/persecution of public figures over baseball tickets and sexual peccadillos. It's wasteful of public trust, energies and resources, and for all the sanctimonious posing it's always done cynically for political advantage. Primitive, mindless, crude, disgusting.