I have been watching for the last hour or so as the events unfold, and with each and every new announcement I become more flabbergasted. The first news article linked Elliot Spitzer with a prostitution ring, using only unnamed sources (always take those articles with a grain of salt):
Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.
The NY Sun later reported the previously unnamed ring was the Emperor's Club which was indicted just last week:
The New York Sun reported today that prosecutors specializing in government corruption cases are leading the investigation into the prostitution service, suggesting that the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan may have evidence that a public official hired a prostitute.
The criminal complaint describes phone calls intercepted by the FBI of several clients of the prostitution service. The men are only identified as clients one to nine. The Times is reporting that client nine was Mr. Spitzer. The criminal complaint said that the liaison between client nine and a prostitute named Kristen occurred in Washington DC. The complaint said that client nine left a deposit with the prostitution service to cover the train ticket of the prostitute from New York to Washington.
Shortly after the article from the Sun appeared, Fox News reported Spitzer was indicted and would resign:
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been indicted and is expected to resign from office following news reports that he was linked to a high-profile prostitution ring, sources told FOX News Monday.
As I was writing this Spitzer was on television stating "I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family,". Although there was no mention of the prostitution ring or indictment, the fact there was no denial either indicates to me that the rumors are indeed true.
This is yet another episode of "do as I say not as I do" from one of our nations politicians. As an Attorney General Elliot Spitzer not only prosecuted prostitution rings in New York, he also expressed contempt for the rings, as well as those who used the services.
 Exit Question: If it is true that Spitzer has already been indicted, why was his name not mentioned when the charges were first presented to the grand jury?
 Update: It looks as though reports of the indictment were unfounded and Spitzer was merely named as one of the clients in an indictment against ringleaders.
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Comments: 58
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Which of course means that he is NOT a republican..
I am not one either but I am DAMN tired of the self proclaimed 'higher moral standard' bunch getting treated with kid gloves..
why not an interview/comment with Ms. Pelosi????
hmmmn?
That means Hillary lost a super delegates. Yehhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Clinton (Bill) had affairs, not prostitutes (as least as far as I know). Affairs are personal matters and moral affronts to the spouse only (unless of course the spouse allows it). As for Larry Craig, apparently solicitation in public places is illegal in Idaho, presumably not so much to keep consenting adults apart but to protect children who may use public restrooms from predators.
Prostitution, on the hand, is illegal in most states, and certainly so in New York and Washngton DC. So the issue is less about personal morality as it is about breaking the law. All laws have consequences. I do not know what the law says about people who pay prostitutes, so I don't know if legally he can retain office if convicted (which, of course, he hasn't even been formally charged, never mind convicted). Credibility in your job, on the other hand, is a different matter.
Give it time for the facts to come out - it's only been a few hours folks. We'll be able to feed our prurient interests soon enough. He'll either resign or he won't. As with Larry Craig, apparently convictions aren't enough to legally remove someone from office. But it seems like it would be hard for Spitzer to govern effectively given this revelation.
I am curious as to why someone would suggest an interview with Nancy Pelosi. I'm pretty sure that her role as Speaker of the US House of Representatives doesn't encompass being mommy to the governor of New York State.
Well Spitzer is neither charged nor indicted. Could you point me to the article YOU wrote screaming for Craig's resignation (since he was convicted)?
"How can you crack down on crime as he is rumored to of done and break the law yourself. This is just typical Dems. doing dirt and trying to cover it up. "
Wonderfully delusional.
Hypocrites. Clearly. Crime's ok IF you're a registered RepubliCON (SEE: Limbaugh, Rush, Craig, Convicted US Senator, Bush, George "Because I said so" W., North, Oliver, Liddy, G. Gordon, Hunt, E. Howard). How many criminals have become GOP heroes . . . not to mention George "I forgive Treason" Bush's Commutation of that last criminal that covered for his Administration's crimes.
Yep. Spitzer should go so that Democrats maintain the moral superiority that quite naturally enjoy!
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
For years Spitzer was gunning for people who broke the law and now he's done it himself. If this were an affair he was having I would say it was a personal issue between him and his wife. But prostitution is a crime and he spent close to $4,000 for a woman. $4,000!! What would she have to do to earn that amount of money?? I digress, sorry. If you get into office by saying that you will be tough on crime you can't break the law yourself. I do feel bad for his wife and daughters though.
I understood that Spitzer was involved with money laundering and prostituion using The Emperor's Club as a front.
$5,500 for a night of "relaxation" with a beautiful woman is a rather cheap thrill for all those "The Emperor's Club" high rollers. They can spend that in a hour at two at the track.
As for being indicted, that will be up to federal prosecutors, because the law forbids NYS prosecutors from bringing an indictment against a sitting Governor. He is circling the wagons, and has hired a high-powered legal team. There is speculation that they will negotiate a deal, where he steps down, and avoids prosecution.
It's important to remember that, as NYS Att'y Gen, he prosecuted two high-profile prostitution rings. This is among the many reasons that the outlook is not good for him.
Using a prostitute is not "getting laid".
The day before yesterday, we busted a prostitution ring in Bloomington Minnesota, home of the Mall of America. The only compensation the girls received were STD's. They were lured here from Mexico and Central America with the promise of work. Unfortunetly what they got was slavery, of the worst kind.
I was watching a law professor on CNN last night (he taught Spitzer) say that in Europe this would be page 26 story. I have to agree with that. Now we are in the US not Europe. Do the rest of us have higher moral standards than Europeans or our elected officials. Most people coming here and calling out Spitzer have done things that would make them unelectable.
I think Spitzer should answer to his wife and the people of New York. That's it. If the people of New York want him it is their problem. Now if runs for president or someone appoints him as attorney general, then the rest of us can start his morals trial.
Spitzer should resign because he broke the law. The entire Bush Administration should resign because they broke many, many, many, many much more serious laws. All people who take a position of power and abuse it and break the law should be brought to justice. But, there is no more justice in this country.
But, I also think we should legalize prostitution.
Then we can get to the business of electing Hillary Clinton and Amy Klobuchar from the remaining government ranks.
Bravo, Sue B. Bravo.
People here just love conspiracies.
Fan the flames.
Rove, Rove.
Clinton's still taking advantage of support from other key backers who've been wrapped up in personal scandals, such as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has publicly apologized for having a relationship with the wife of a top political aide, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who broke up with his wife after conducting affair with a local television news anchor.) ...Anyone sees a pattern?
Are these guys the dudes Slick Willy hangs with on Saturday Nights. Interns for all my buddies when I got back to the white house. (A joke!)
Here is my serious questions to all mothers out there. Would you let your 20 year old go intern in the White House with slick willy roaming around. If yes, would you be, just a little bit concerned?
Ah, Jared.....would you let your 20 year old son be a page on the floor of Congress with all those homo-hating homosexual pedopheliacs roaming around the Republican side of the room? With their pagers? If yes, would you be, ah, "just a little bit concerned"?
There is no hypocrisy like Liberal hypocrisy.
Amy Klobuchar was a lobbyist for Global Crossing LTD, a company whose lobbying corruption was second only to ENRON.
Ms. Klobuchar as the Country Attorney for Hennepin County turned a blind eye to the endemic corruption at Minneapolis City Hall. It took the Federal Attorney and the FBI to investigate and convict three Minneapolis council members in three seperate incidents of bribery and extortion.
Why would anyone want someone so dirty to attain higher office?
She's a liberal that is why.
It also took the FBI to bring down Spitzer --- anyone want to guess how long people in his own party knew about his illegal behavior?
My guess, it was an open secret.
He needs to resign... or be impeached.
She is not even in my political party, my Independence party ran someone to the political left of her. All these charges were looked at and dismissed too.
She won in a landslide, is very popular with the majority of the political spectrum, and will be a Senator for life if she wants to be. She is very rare, a popular politician in today's world.
Now go and be right about something, I know you can do that.
Now my opinion on prostitution is very different from advocating its legalization. I've lived in a country where it was legal and you would not know until you were told. I don't like people who want to force their religion and moral to other people. From what I understand, the money laundering started this and he should be investigated. But I really don't care if an elected official is getting the job done and is seeing hookers. Just get the job done, that's what you are paid for.
I don't care about the democrats or republicans. I don't live in NY. So, I really don't care. I just think American politics is plagued by acts that are legal in many places in the world. Maybe we should look at them. Prostitution is legal in some rare places in the US. That's all. Don't care about Spitzer at all
Here is a man that has demonstrated a lack of loyalty, a lack of concern, and a lack of consideration. He has no loyalty to his family because he didn;t feel that his marirage vows were a contract with them. He had no concern for the impact on them when he went out of town to satisfy a momentary desire. He had no consideration of the emotional stress they would suffer by having them stand before the media for him to have a family photo op.
It makes me wonder if he would do all of this to his family for that personal gratification what would he do to the people that supported him, to the citizens of New York, or to those people that would be affect by is governmental actions?
Maybe I am all wrong, this could have been the first and only time he did this. He may have thought it was part of the responsiblities of being Governor of New York, or being an elected official, or even part of his preperation for being a Democratic President.
Back to the legal concerns, I thought he was an "officer of the court" and responsible for enforcing all of the laws. It sounds that this particular engagement was in D.C. and if D.C. out laws prostitution then he should be held accountable (it is not the Governors place to decide which laws in DC he can ignore). Even in the state of New York I doubt he has the right to choose. I heard a reference to the Mann act which has something to do with transporting a person across state lines for prostitution, he supposedly paid for her to travel from New York to his hotel room in DC, sounds like a Federal crime.
HIs actions cause me to wonder if he would break these laws what other ones would he break? During his breif time in office it seems he is already under investigation for other violation in New York.
Alan and others answer to any of these embarassing violations of laws is to remove the law and legalize what ever action that is the embarassment. I don;t know whether it is simply because that they truly believe as in this case that all the crimes are victimless or is it that the person being embarassed is someone so important to them or their political loyalties that the actions should not be made public. In either case I disagree, it is up to the citizens to decide what the laws are and no perosn no matter how inconvient is above the laws.
Greg, brings up a "liberal" concern. I must admit it seems those that are supported by "liberal" organizations seem to stay in power when they violate laws and ethics, Barney Franks and his live in prostitue/procuror, Bill Clinton and his non sex with MOnica and perjury, and now Eliot Spitzer (he won;t resign). You may bring up Craig of Idaho, but don;t forget the Congressman in Florida , Livingston in Illinois or Indiana, or Gingrich in Georgia who didn't violate laws simply violated a morel code of their constituents, "conservatives".
It is up to the people of New York to decide if Elioit Spitzer has acted in a manner they feel befitting their Governor and violated laws and whether he should stay in office.
For me here in Michigan, if Governor Granholm did ( I would first be struck speachless because I feel she has a much high moral and ethical standard then that) what he did and I would sign the petition for her removal.
Is it simply because other allow it that means we should? There are a lot of things that are acceptable in other countries, societies, and by other people that I think are simply wrong and detremental to individuals and to their societies, so I won;t accept that rationale.
A much better case for legalizing protitution might have to do with taxing the activity, imporoving the health of the protsittues and their customers and their customers families, imporoving the working conditions for the prostitutes, of controlling the setting and surrounding areas (so jsut as bars can;t be within 500 feet or more of a school or church, brothels would be).
However, then I would think we should discuss how legalizing could be considered a faciltor of brekaing the marrigae contract (people who committ adultery have provided grounds for divorce). We might also discuss the purpose of laws and who decides what are the laws.
Even though drinking is legal it doesn't means a drinker can be ticketed and incarcerated for drinking.
Simply saying we should toss the laws that are between consenting adults (I presume you would still feel that some bring minors into the profession would be illegal) has the potenitla to ignore a lot of really bad consequeunces to ithers that weren;t consenting.
It's not pretty.
And the nation is still trudging leftward, despite your best efforts to slow it down.