Onetime Republican Attorney General candidate Jeanine Pirro may have withheld evidence in a murder trial while she was the Westchester District Attorney, according to a story just posted online by the New York Sun.

A federal grand jury now wants to hear recordings Pirro made of her telephone conversations while she was the D.A. in Westchester.

According to the story, “One of the reasons this is of interest is that that Ms. Pirro's successor now is in possession of a tape suggesting Ms. Pirro failed to disclose evidence that could have helped a man whom Ms. Pirro subsequently charged with murder. But the existence of any tapes immediately raises the question of whom Ms. Pirro was talking to over her years in office and what conversations, whether of a political or legal nature, might be recorded in the surviving tapes.”

UPDATE: The Journal News also has details on the story over here.   read more »

For those of you who don't know her -- but really, who doesn't? -- Liz is an authoritative and fantastically prolific blogger and reporter. She also has the distinction of having performed two of the toughest roles in the last year's LCA's annual roast of lawmakers, appearing as Jeanine Pirro and Ada Smith.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

"Sources familiar with the investigation say federal and state prosecutors want to know if Pirro improperly put resources available to her as Westchester District Attorney toward campaign work. One key question: whether Pirro or her staffers conducted background checks on campaign donors using computers and databases inside the District Attorney's office."

California, Florida, Illinois and New Jersey might have earlier primaries than in past years.

Hillary Clinton will go to Iowa, where a poll shows her in fourth place.

Ceasar Borja, Jr. tells his own story.

It's still unclear precisely how the legislature will vote for a new comptroller.

And here is more on the passing of S.I. Assemblyman John Lavelle.

$776,103.41 - money Andrew Cuomo has left in his account $92,782.16 - money Charlie King still has left in his campaign account $40,300 - contributions made to Cuomo between December 8, and December 12, 2006 $1,674 - money Andrew Cuomo spent on photography $1,579.35 - money Jeanine Pirro has left in her campaign account $28,800 - a contribution refunded to Richard Mack by Charlie King last week

Jeanine Pirro may be the subject of an FBI probe. Again.

Eliot Spitzer and legislative leaders announce budget reforms, but don't go as far as to create an Independent Budget Office or abolish the three-person Public Authorities Control Board.

Blair Horner discusses the race for comptroller.

Metro-North is on time about 97 percent of the time.

Barack Obama may be in the exploratory stage of his presidential run, but he's already getting endorsed by one congressman.

Mystery Pollster and Doug Shoen continue arguing about a poll that says Americans are skeptical about the federal government negotiating with drug companies for lower-cost prescription drugs.

Colorful City Hall reporter Rafael Martinez is online with his own blog.

It seemed, at least, to show that the Cuomo people were taking Jeanine Pirro more seriously than the media was during the late stages of the campaign. It also seemed to be a big number to have outstanding, given the FCC requirement that candidates pay for their ads as they go in order to prevent media outlets from essentially making in-kind loans to campaigns.

Cuomo spokeswoman Wendy Katz emailed this explanation: "There is always a process of an accounting reconciliation for millions of dollars of media time purchased in the final stage of the campaign. Those adjustments await the final disposition."

As if Chuck Schumer isn't already everywhere, he may take the lead on the effort to bring the Democratic National Convention to New York.

George Pataki and Jeanine Pirro are not attending the state GOP meeting in Albany where Joe Mondello is expected to be named the party's new state chairman.

"I'm not looking back and saying that behavior that didn't live up to these standards was inappropriate, we're just saying, this is the standard we want to apply."

Rudy Blogger uses a familiar anti-Rudy argument and asks how conservatives will react when they learn that Mitt Romeny supported abortion and gay rights before 2002.

The head of the Municipal Arts Society sounds off on the Atlantic Yards project.

And pictured above is Dirk McCall, the head of the Stonewall Democrats who organized the Jim McGreevey event last night and has a holiday party coming up next week.

The man in blue pictured here standing next to Councilman James Sanders yesterday is new mayoral spokesman (and former Jeanine Pirro aide) John Gallagher.

From the AP:

"New York's highest court ruled Tuesday that the state _ acting under an order from Gov. George Pataki _ wrongly confined convicted sex offenders in psychiatric facilities after their prison sentences ended."

Civil confinement was a signature (albeit late) issue for Pataki and a constant talking point for his preferred senate/attorney general candidate, Jeanine Pirro.

"In conclusion, we understand how in an attempt to protect the community from violent sexual predators, the state proceed under the Mental Hygiene law. We do not propose that these petitioners be released, nor do we propose to trump the interest of public safety. Rather, we recognized that a need for continued hospitalization may well exist."