ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York’s attorney general issued a report Monday recommending disciplinary action be considered against Governor Spitzer’s office for releasing information about a legislator’s use of state aircraft.

Mr. Spitzer, a national force for reforming Wall Street, apologized to state residents Monday and said he accepted the findings.

He said he had suspended one of his closest aides and reassigned another, but he stressed that neither he nor anyone higher up in his administration had ordered the two to collect information on Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and that he personally knew nothing of their plans.

“Clearly this was not part of a broader package,” Mr. Spitzer said. “I will not tolerate this behavior.”

Mr. Bruno had accused Mr. Spitzer’s office of political espionage.

The simmering conflict between the Democratic governor, who took office in January, and the longtime Republican Senate leader boiled over in early July after the Times Union of Albany reported that Mr. Bruno had been using state aircraft to attend fundraisers in Manhattan.

Mr. Bruno blamed Mr. Spitzer for leaking the records to the media and accused him of using state police to spy on him.

Attorney General Cuomo’s investigation found no violations of law, however, it determined that “The governor’s office planned to obtain information concerning Senator Bruno’s use of state aircraft for the purpose of giving this information to the media.”

“Under the pretext of responding to a Freedom of Information Law request, the governor’s liaison caused the acting superintendent of the state police to create documents detailing where the state police had driven Senator Bruno, and report details of Senator Bruno’s requests for ground transportation, upcoming schedules, and changes to those schedules,” the report said.

“This conduct deviated from state police standard operating procedures and past practices, and was not required” by the law, the report said.

The report also found that Bruno’s use of the state aircraft had been appropriate under a policy that “is overly permissive and porous and allows for an abuse of taxpayer funds.”

“We find that Senator Bruno used state aircraft for trips during which he conducted both legislative business as well as political or personal business,” the report stated. “We further find that such mixed usage is permissible under existing New York state policy.”

Mr. Cuomo recommended that the acting superintendent of state police, the governor’s liaison to state police and Spitzer Communications Director Darren Dopp “should be evaluated in light of the findings contained in this report and appropriate disciplinary action should be considered.”

Mr. Spitzer, a former state attorney general, suspended Mr. Dopp on Monday and said he would reassign his assistant deputy for public safety, William Howard, to a position outside the executive chamber. Both were among Mr. Spitzer’s closest aides. He took no action against the acting superintendent of state police, Preston Felton.

“I apologize to Senator Bruno, as I did earlier today,” Mr. Spitzer told reporters. “I apologize to the people of the state of New York.”
Bruno said his staff would review the report’s “disturbing conclusions” before commenting further.