Dean Skelos Still Doesn't REALLY Deny Corruption Investigation

When NBC 4 first reported that State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos was under investigation by the US Attorney's office for his outside income, a Skelos spokesperson did not return "numerous calls" from NBC 4 for comment.

Yesterday a Skelos spokesperson finally made a statement that essentially added up to a non-denial:

Skelos’ office issued a statement Friday calling the TV report “irresponsible” — and refusing further comment.

“Last night’s thinly sourced report by WNBC is irresponsible and does not meet the standards of serious journalism. Senator Skelos has not been contacted by anyone from the U.S. Attorney’s office. As such, we won’t be commenting further,” said Skelos spokeswoman Kelly Cummings.

While the NBC 4 report was vague and thinly sourced, as the Skelos flack noted, I pointed out that the NY Post independently confirmed the investigation into Skelos by the feds later in the day - meaning there were now two reports, independent of each other, reporting the same thing (NY Post report here.)

I also pointed out how the Skelos flack's saying Dean Skelos has never been contacted by anybody from the US Attorney's office doesn't prove that he's not being investigated by said US Attorney's office - all it means is, no one from that office has contacted Skelos.

So Skelos really issued a non-denial denial yesterday and then doubled down on that later in the day.

The NY Post staked out the Skelos home last night to get comment from him on the investigation, but instead got this:

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on Friday laughed off news that the feds have launched a corruption probe into his outside income — the same issue that brought down longtime Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver last week.

Skelos waved at reporters but declined comment as he left his Rockville Centre, LI, home Friday after kissing his wife, Gail.

Sources told The Post that US Attorney Preet Bharara, who brought charges against Silver and has vowed to clean up Albany, is looking at Skelos’ connections to various real-estate deals.

Skelos can put on the nice domestic scene all he wants, kissing his wife, waving to reporters and declining comment on the reports he's being investigated by the US Attorney's office - none of that means anything in the grand scheme of things.

I don't know whether Skelos is being investigated by the US Attorney's office or not, but I do know one thing - Skelos issued a non-denial denial yesterday through his flak, then doubled down on it yesterday evening with a domestic scene that feels as staged as the opening to The Dick Van Dyke Show.