NY Gov. Spitzer faces inquiries in ethics probe

By Edith Honan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The day after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation amid a scandal over a $1,000-an-hour prostitute, his lawyers were in court fighting separate ethics charges they said were politically motivated.

Lawyers for Spitzer, a Democrat, and the Republican-led state Senate committee appeared at a hearing on Thursday over accusations that Spitzer's administration used the state police to spy on the Senate's top Republican, Joseph Bruno, for political purposes.

A feud between Bruno and Spitzer dominated Spitzer's 14-month tenure as governor and culminated in Bruno accusing Spitzer of misusing state resources to damage his reputation.

Spitzer's resignation was a spectacular downfall for the former New York state chief prosecutor who built his career with an air of moral indignation for criminals large and small.

A probe by the state attorney general was highly critical of the Spitzer administration's handling of the Bruno matter.

A senate committee has subpoenaed internal e-mails and other documents as part of its own inquiry.

On Thursday, Dietrich Snell, a lawyer for the governor, asked Judge Richard Braun to reject those subpoenas, saying they were part of "a politically motivated effort to keep the public eye on a set of events."

"What's at stake are the confidential communications that took place at the highest levels," he said, calling the inquiry "a fishing expedition."