JJOKE violates its own confidentialty rules

Accusations fly in latest JCOPE leak to the New York Post

Subpoenas should soon be flying in the probe of who leaked the fact that JCOPE voted to investigate Vito Lopez to the Post.

Someone associated closely with the State Joint Commission on Public Ethics leaked information on the fact that they had voted to open a formal investigation into alleged sexual harassment by the Brooklyn assemblyman — a step needed for the Post to report that the panel planned to send out subpoenas, The Apocalypse has learned.

Investigations are considered confidential and JCOPE isn’t even permitted to confirm publicly that a probe is under way the Post reported as part of its story based on the very same leaked information it reported as confidential.

The JCOPE leak of confidential information — which required someone with actual knowledge of the secret vote to provide it to a party outside the commission — occurred immediately after a special video conference of the commission, according to a source.

One JCOPE commissioner when informed of the leaking of confidential information stated that it was “disgusting”.

Other commissioners wondered if it would trigger a criminal probe by Albany County District Attorney David Soares.

This is not the first time that the New York Post has been the recipient of a leak from JCOPE regarding its investigations. As a result the New York Post is seen by many in Albany as receiving a head start in what has become known in media circles as “the race to the bottom” of Albany ethics scandals.

Many Albany insiders are questioning if certain JCOPE staffers and/or commissioners have themselves violated the Public Officers Law by leaking confidential information.

The good government groups who seemed to respond quickly to the Lopez scandal by filing a complaint with JCOPE have remained conspicuously silent regarding JCOPE’s own scandalous actions.

And that ladies and gentleman is how you play the media scandal game NY Post style.