Subpoenas for Baum, Dopp

Eliot Spitzer's top aides Rich Baum and Darren Dopp were subpoenaed by the state Senate Republicans. The subpoena to Baum, Spitzer's secretary, is for documents, emails and information. The one issued to Dopp, Spitzer's director of communications, is for him to testify before a Senate Committee on October 29th.

Both men played prominent roles in the plan to use the state police to track Senate Republican Leader Joe Bruno's use of state aircraft.

In a public statement from Senate Republicans, they said,

"The subpoenas demand that, by Friday, October 19, a detailed compilation of a range of Executive Chamber communications and policy directives dating back to January 1, 2007 be delivered to the committee. The committee is seeking documents, public and private e-mails, correspondence, meeting notes, memoranda, Blackberry communications, and other information from Spitzer’s inner circle relevant to the 'crafting, drafting, and !-- D(["mb","with respect to uses and abuses of the FOIL procedures.”  The Spitzer aides\u003cbr /\>are also being asked to produce a list or description of any relevant\u003cbr /\>documents or communications that have been destroyed or changed in any way.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>      Winner said the subpoena issued to Baum is for documents and\u003cbr /\>information.  Dopp was subpoenaed to appear personally before the committee\u003cbr /\>by October 29th, and testify on his role in what has been widely reported\u003cbr /\>as a political plot to damage State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.\u003cbr /\>The committee also expects to issue subpoenas for testimony to Baum, former\u003cbr /\>Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security Bill Howard, and acting State Police\u003cbr /\>Superintendent Preston Felton.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>      An investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo revealed that key\u003cbr /\>members of Spitzer’s inner circle -- including Dopp, Howard and, possibly,\u003cbr /\>Baum -- worked in concert with New York State Police Acting Superintendent\u003cbr /\>Preston L. Felton to create travel records and information under the\u003cbr /\>pretext of a FOIL request from the Albany Times Union.   Cuomo found that\u003cbr /\>their “conduct deviated from State Police standard operating procedures and\u003cbr /\>past practices, and was not required by FOIL.”  He added that his\u003cbr /\>investigation “raised serious issues about the State Police’s handling of\u003cbr /\>documents and information.”\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>      Since the release of Cuomo’s investigative report on July 23, the\u003cbr /\>Senate Investigations Committee has convened three public hearings to\u003cbr /\>solicit testimony in response to the Attorney General’s recommendations for\u003cbr /\>a review of the FOIL process to evaluate whether FOIL requests directed to\u003cbr /\>the governor’s office should be referred to the relevant entity within the\u003cbr /\>executive department, and to establish a new ethics policy and protocols\u003cbr /\>between the State Police and the governor’s office.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>      At its third hearing, on September 24, the committee formally called\u003cbr /\>",1] ); //-->introduction of legislation concerning the administration of government with respect to uses and abuses of the FOIL procedures.' "

Earlier, Dopp's lawyer, Terrence Kindlon, told me he probably fight any effort by Senate Republicans to question his client.