He could still control things from the island, such as having a spy on Widmore's boat and having details of Keamy's service record/mercenary activities.

Just pretend i spelled DiCaprio correctly.

Sayid's newfound(2007) appreciation of vintage malt whisky
As it's Widmore's tipple, could this imply that he's been contacted by Widmore, the way Locke was, and has been informed about Ben's actions. Hence the hostility to Ben and the warning to Hurley about doing the opposite of anything he said.