To add a little more intrigue to this growing story, in an article posted at Urban Elephants.. Smelling Blood, Callaghan Style Scott Sala brings up a great point.. During the debate between Faso and Spitzer, John Faso called on Hevesi to resign under the banner of dishonesty and theft.

Spitzer response was…
“What Alan did was wrong…if anybody on my watch did that, there would be some very serious consequences…Alan is someone who has done stupendous work on behalf of the state of New York.”

Huh? This was on your watch. You are - now - Attorney General of the State of New York.

So Hevesi wants Spitzer to prosecute a village treasurer from upstate Little Valley for allegedly padding her travel reimbursement requests, but this time in a scandal that is much bigger, Spitzer sings a different tune… Protecting your own Eliot? Pitiful, if we can’t count on you to go after all forms of illegalities then we simply cannot trust you at all.

New York Daily News - Politics - His loss is foe’s gain
Republicans are gloating that Democratic state Controller Alan Hevesi’s chauffeur scandal is driving up donations to his GOP opponent.

Chris Callaghan began the race with only a paltry campaign war chest but has seen a sharp uptick in contributions as a result of the revelation that Hevesi used a state employee to chauffeur his ailing wife, Carol, Republican officials said yesterday.

“We’re just now seeing a huge increase in donations for Chris,” said state GOP Executive Director Ryan Moses. “People are telling us they are very upset that Alan Hevesi stole money from New York taxpayers and only paid money back when he was caught.”

The Republicans plan to use the dough for televised attack ads against Hevesi.

The impact of the chauffeur scandal remains uncertain, as no statewide polls have been released since it hit the headlines a week ago.

But more problems erupted for Hevesi yesterday when the Daily News’ political blog, the Daily Politics, showcased a 2005 Hevesi press release in which the controller chided a village treasurer from upstate Little Valley for allegedly padding her travel reimbursement requests to the tune of $3,153. Hevesi announced last year he was referring that matter for possible criminal prosecution.

Hevesi, who has stayed clear of reporters this week, has told state ethics watchdogs that he is paying the state more than $82,000 in reimbursement for having the staff aide ferry his wife around for the past three years.

He had queried ethics officials about whether his wife was entitled to such a driver, but has admitted he should have made the reimbursement earlier.