Assembly Holds Ethics Session as Members Fret

ALBANY

As New York State is yet convulsed in its worst corruption month in decades, the Assembly abruptly canceled its scheduled 12:15 p.m. session Wednesday in favor of what they said was a long-planned ethics training session.

Assembly Democratic spokesman Michael Whyland said that the training was not tied to the recent arrests of Assemblyman Eric Stevenson and Sens. Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, the Daily News reported.

Whyland said that the training was supposed to end at 12 o’clock, but the leadership decided to cancel a scheduled session in case the ethics training went longer than planned. Members will return to Albany on Monday for regular sessions.

At 2:00 p.m., former Sen. Shirley Huntley’s court documents which identified more lawmakers under investigation were released. But lawmakers were out of Albany by that time.

Meanwhile, reports these past few weeks of legislators recording colleagues is unnerving the assemblymen and senators.

“The Senate now has four conferences,” one senator said. “Republican, Democrat, Independent Democrat — and indicted.”

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