seal of AlbanyIn case you haven’t already heard, NYS Senator Hiram Monserrate, who defected the Democratic caucus last week along with Pedro Espada in an attempt to oust Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, has. . . wait for it. . . rejoined the Democratic caucus.

As previously noted here at the Lake, the Dems had a slim two vote majority in the Senate. There are 62 senators and 32 are Dems. When two Dems decided to caucus with the GOP, voila, the majority would shift to the other side.

Last week Monserrate said he would vote "no" on everything, effectively gridlocking the Senate. Yesterday, he announced that he has decided to re-join the Dem caucus, once again, gridlocking the Senate at 31 votes each side.

There might be a collateral reason for him to do it this way, as opposed to the "no" vote way.

Remember, there are criminal charges pending against him in Queens for beating and face slashing his girlfriend. There is supposed to be security video camera tape showing him committing some of the acts, and yesterday, new details emerged about the severity of the face slashing.

His fellow turncoat, Espada, is said to be under investigation by both the Bronx DA for residency fraud and possible corruption relating to some health care not-for-profits he is associated with, AND by the Albany DA for alleged campaign finance scofflawism.

If both Monserrate and Espada remain caucused with the GOP, it would be easy to believe that there might be unspoken, yet palpable pressure on those three DA’s to get their respective prosecution concluded as expeditiously as possible since conviction would remove a felon from the chamber and create a vacancy in those seats.

However, if Monserrate is back in the Dem caucus, would the DA in his case now feel pressure NOT to move efficiently to trial and thereby upset the senate balance of power equilibrium? And since the Monserrate case is much further along, would the Albany and Bronx DA’s now feel constrained not to move their cases at a quicker pace than the Queens case, lest it look like politics was setting the time tables?

It’s enough to make your head spin.

Related posts:

  1. Update on the Albany Senate Putsch
  2. Two New York Dems Vote to Give Republicans Majority in State Senate: So, Who Will Primary Defector Hiram Monserrate?
  3. Is Joe Bruno the New York State Majority Leader in Exile? (And What Does That Mean for Gay Marriage?)
  4. Warrantless Wiretapping: Vaughn Walker’s Chess Game
  5. Vaughn Walker’s Chess Game: Sue the Telecoms, Part One