ALBANY, N.Y. -- In a telling quote buried in thousands of pages of Troopergate documents, former Governor Spitzer Communication Director Darren Dopp said Spitzer's circle of advisors were told "an ounce of governmental covers a pound of political." Meaning as long as there was some type of government purpose for travel, both Bruno and Spitzer could use state aircraft without getting into trouble.

“He can use government vehicles to get there and if he does other things, then so what,” said legal expert Arnold Proskin.

While the media questioned Bruno in 2007, behind the scenes, Dopp said "No one knows that we were so concerned about misuse that we reimbursed for one of the legs of (a) trip." Still, they monitored Bruno, debating if they had a duty to report possible wrongdoing to the Inspector General.

An attorney's advice: "If you had information about possible misuse of state aircraft you must refer. And (Dopp) said, ‘Peter, we really don't know.’ ‘Darren, possible means any possible.’"

And they didn't refer the issue to the Albany County DA's office either because Dopp said they had their "Hands full, buried, steroid probe and a host of other things."

So they remained in what they called a "holding pattern.”

“I think there were maybe harnesses on some people,” Proskin said.

Former Albany County District Attorney Arnold Proskin says it's unclear what legal problems may arise from the documents, saying if Spitzer hadn't already stepped down, he might be in trouble now because of some testimony pointing to him as being involved.

“I don't know they had direct proof – ‘yes, he said let's go get Bruno’ – then I think the Senate could have impeached him,” Proskin said.

There's also testimony by Darren Dopp's wife, wondering why it was her husband, the communications director, who took the fall. She told Attorney General attorneys, "Isn't it strange that my husband's suspended without pay and without insurance? He doesn't even talk to the State Police. Never has a conversation with any of the State Police, yet he's the one who supposedly did everything?"

“It was nasty, it was rotten. You look at the plus side and say, it will never happen again. We hope,” said Proskin.

All of this raising the question - have New York's leaders really learned anything?

“If you're going to do it, why put it in an email, where it can bite you back later?” Proskin asked.

Or does it all only lead to greater secrecy in an age where an ounce of governmental apparently covers a pound of political.