ALBANY — Disgraced state Sen. Malcolm Smith was booted from the Independent Democratic Conference yesterday and shunted into the Carl Kruger dunce seat.
Smith lost all committee assignments and was moved to the same back-row corner spot in the Senate chamber where the bribe-taking Kruger was seated before heading to prison on corruption charges.
He also lost out on more than $9,300 in a salary bonus when IDC leader Jeff Klein of The Bronx prevailed on the state comptroller’s office to block the payment the day the feds charged the Queens Democrat with trying to bribe his way onto this year’s Republican mayoral primary ballot, Klein spokesman Eric Soufer said.
Smith was supposed to get 75 percent of his $12,500 annual “lulu” for chairing the Social Services Committee this month — on top of his $79,500 senator’s salary — but Klein stripped him of the committee chairmanship and his other leadership posts on April 2.
The feds charged Smith on April 2 with arranging about $40,000 in bribes to county Republican leaders in the city, in collaboration with Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens), for a spot on the GOP primary ballot.
“Elected officials need to be held to a higher standard,” said Klein, who suggested two weeks ago that he resign.
“Senator Smith broke the trust of the IDC and, most importantly, he broke the trust of the voters.”