Isn’t this special… more and more waste over political hits and WE pay! How much more can we take anyway? Someone and not the taxpayers have got to start paying for this crap.

Bruno’s copters cost $72G, but Troopergate cost $1.5M

ALBANY - The tab for Joe Bruno’s state helicopter flights this year: $72,000.

The $1.5 million public tab for the Troopergate investigation: Priceless.

Albany is in the fourth month of gridlock from the scandal that began when Gov. Spitzer’s aides plotted to make the Senate majority leader pay a political price for using state aircraft.

And the costs are still mounting - Spitzer’s office now plans to spend $400,000 for an outside lawyer, Dietrich Snell, to fight subpoenas from GOP state senators, the Daily News has learned.

“The attempted cure is costing much more than the initial problem,” lamented Richard Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union. “These scandals and the resulting investigations have cost the state significant money, both in terms of dollars and time lost from addressing crucial issues.”

In tallying the costs, The News reviewed work hours by lawyers, investigators, public relations specialists and others.

Government insiders say the total estimated tab of $1.54 million could easily grow.

The protracted battle grew out of suspicions by Spitzer aides that Bruno attended political fund-raisers in Manhattan on several trips made with a state police helicopter. The total tab for his 10 trips is about $72,000.

After state police records on Bruno’s travels were fed to an Albany newspaper, the senator cried foul and accused the governor of having troopers spy on him. Both Bruno and Spitzer called for investigations. Costs started mounting.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s July 23 report found the Spitzer administration misused the state police, while Bruno broke no laws because his trips included government business.

Because Spitzer’s aides didn’t fully cooperate with Cuomo, Republicans demanded more digging. Separate inquiries were launched by the Albany County district attorney along with the now-defunct state Ethics Commission and its successor, the Pubic Integrity Commission, which is still investigating.

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