ALBANY, N.Y. -- After talking about the ongoing steroid cases in Albany County, District Attorney David Soares was asked about his separate "Troopergate" scandal report that will be coming out in a couple weeks.
"’Troopergate,’ as it's been dubbed, is an ongoing investigation," he said, stepping back from a newspaper story that quoted a source from his office as saying his forthcoming report on the Troopergate scandal would find no wrongdoing by top officials in the Spitzer administration.
"That investigation is not completed yet and we will not be commenting on any aspect of the investigation as long as it's an open matter," he said.
The news article also claims Soares is considering criticizing Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's Troopergate report for what the source apparently called a badly done investigation.
It's been called "Troopergate" and still, investigations continue into whether the Governor's office abused state resources while investigating whether Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno misused state aircraft for political purposes. That includes investigations by the Senate Investigations Committee and State Ethics Commission.
But Soares has since issued a statement, contradicting the story, saying, "I sincerely appreciate the help of all who have assisted in our analysis, including our partner, the Office of the Attorney General for their continued cooperation during our inquiry. A recent press story that my office planned to negatively critique the Attorney General's report is wholly untrue and we will continue our good, ongoing relationship with the Attorney General. To date, our assessment of these materials is not complete, and no findings have been made. To draw any conclusions before reviewing all evidence would directly contradict the principles of our process...There will be no public comment before a final, legal determination is made."
A spokesman for Governor Spitzer said he had no comment, even though the possible finding of no wrongdoing would seem to help, not hurt, the Spitzer administration.
All of this could be good news for Darren Dopp, the Governor's Communications Director, who was suspended after the scandal broke. Dopp's Attorney, Terence Kindlon, said over the phone it shows Dopp did nothing wrong and pointed the finger at Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, accusing him of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of state funds because he "doesn't like to take the train."
Dopp's future hasn't been determined yet. Bruno's spokesman said it's too preliminary to talk about any DA report, and Attorney General Cuomo did not return our calls, as we now wait for Soares' final report on the scandal that just won't go away.