The truth of the matter is that Hevesi was going to be booted, and he chose to wait until after he was reelected by the state before deciding to resign or getting booted by the legislature or arrested and indicted.
"Hevesi's hope is that Soares will forgo prosecution if he agrees to step down," one of the state's most influential Democrats told The Post.Voters should have given Hevesi the boot, but chose not to. Instead, they're going to have the governor make that determination for them. Depending on the timing, Pataki could appoint someone for the remainder of the term, with Spitzer appointing yet someone else for the duration, or Hevesi would stay on through the end of his current term with Spitzer choosing his replacement. This is a statewide elected official, and yet the voters will not have a say who will represent their fiscal interests for the next four years. Nice.
Soares, who became DA last year pledging to crack down on public corruption, convened a grand jury a month ago to investigate Hevesi's use of a state worker as a chauffeur and companion for his wife over a 31/2-year period.
While Soares has refused to discuss the case, sources close to the investigation say he may soon agree, "in the interest of justice," to drop potential charges if Hevesi steps down.
The state Ethics Commission and an investigator appointed by Gov. Pataki concluded that Hevesi, who easily won re-election last week, repeatedly broke state law - and then lied about it. Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer has said Hevesi is unfit to continue in office, and if Hevesi seeks to begin a new term in office on Jan. 1, Spitzer could recommend his removal by the state Senate.
Lame duck Pataki has claimed he's considering doing that in the next few weeks, but insiders say he's unlikely to act.
Technorati: hevesi, new york, spitzer, ethics, scandal, democrats.
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