This morning, the New York Times delves into the relationship between Republican State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and "wealthy investor" Jared E. Abbruzzese. While the two men insist that their bond is nothing more than "a mutual love of horses," the Times describes a relationship between a key lawmaker and a man with business before the state: one that is "unusually close even by Albany standards."

Over the past four years, two of Mr. Abbruzzese’s companies have contributed more than $118,000 to a campaign committee controlled by Mr. Bruno. Mr. Abbruzzese’s wife bought property for $90,000 from a group involving Mr. Bruno. Mr. Bruno has also flown on Mr. Abbruzzese’s private jet at least half a dozen times. And in a February 2005 transaction that has not been previously reported, Mr. Bruno bought 2,000 shares in a small Texas securities brokerage in which Mr. Abbruzzese was intimately involved. Mr. Bruno says he invested in the firm, Tejas Inc., after discussing it with Mr. Abbruzzese.

The firm’s stock was not traded on any major exchanges and Mr. Abbruzzese’s own financial advisory company merged with Tejas several months later.

Over the same period, Mr. Bruno, the Legislature’s most powerful Republican, has been helpful to Mr. Abbruzzese. He has directed at least $500,000 in state money to Evident Technologies, a small, privately held nanotechnology firm that Mr. Abbruzzese financed. He was also instrumental in obtaining $2.5 million in state aid for a joint development project involving Evident and Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., last year.

That's some very cozy time in the saddle, indeed. Oh, and guess where that $500,000 came from?

Why, it's member item money, cowboy!

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno provided a pair of highly unusual state grants to a for-profit company in his district whose directors and investors have links to the Brunswick Republican.

The company, Evident Technologies Inc., has received two $250,000 grants at Bruno's direction since the 2001 fiscal year. The $500,000 in grants from a pork barrel fund Bruno controls are remarkable because for-profit companies almost never receive these member items, as such earmarks are called.

At least Senator Gonzalez had the decency to channel his self-serving slush-fund pork through nonprofits - the old-fashioned way.

Now, nobody's accusing Senator Bruno of actually stealing taxpayer money, the way Gonzalez is alleged to have done. That would lack the subtlety and grace befitting a high-level operator like Bruno.

No, Joe's just using public dollars to groom his friendship with Abbruzzese. He seems to be aware that this might not look entirely right, apprently directing his spokesman to tell the Times-Union that "Bruno does not have personal ties to Evident."

Which, as we've seen, and as lipris at The Albany Project pointed out a few days ago, is kind of, well... a baldfaced lie.

In fact, Bruno and Abbruzzese, thanks to their mutual horse love, are poised to ride off into the sunset together once again:

His love of horses inspired Mr. Abbruzzese to join a group of investors competing to operate the state’s thoroughbred horse racing tracks. And now Mr. Bruno, his friend and occasional companion at horse racing events, will play a central role in awarding that franchise.

Happy trails, Joe!

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