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Scandal in NY: “Senior advisors” say Gov. Spitzer has admitted involvement in prostitution ring

Posted by: Sister Toldjah on March 10, 2008 at 3:02 pm

Via the NYT:

ALBANY – 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.

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He had scheduled an announcement for 2:15 this afternoon after inquiries from the Times. But his appearance was delayed by at least 45 minutes.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.

But a person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.

The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13.

MM reports that Spitzer is expected to resign.

The last few months have not been good for Spitz. After opposition from just about everyone, in November he dropped his plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, and as the NYT article noted, “[t]he Albany County district attorney is set to issue in the coming days the results of his investigation into Mr. Spitzer’s first scandal, his aides’ involvement in an effort to tarnish Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, the state’s top Republican.”

Stay tuned …

Update 1 – 6:36 PM: Here’s Gov. Spitzer’s statement, where he was careful not to actually admit any legal wrongdoing (no doubt his speech was edited by his attorneys):

“Good afternoon.

“For the past nine years, eight years as attorney general, and one as governor, I have tried to uphold a vision of progressive politics that would rebuild New York and create opportunity for all. We sought to bring real change to New York and that will continue.

“Today I want to briefly address a private matter. I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my, or any, sense of right and wrong. I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.

“I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York. But I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family.

“I will not be taking questions. Thank you very much. I will report back to you in short order. Thank you very much.”

Here’s video of his statement:

WCBS reports that “reliable sources” are saying Spitz could resign as early as this evening, with Lt. Gov. David Paterson being sworn in later in the evening.

Wonder how long it will take before someone on the left asserts this was a Bush conspiracy to bring down a Dem governor, especially considering the fact that his alleged involvement in the prostitution ring was discovered via wiretap?

The Smoking Gun has details the FBI affidavit on the investigation into the international prostitution ring, which mentions “Client-9″ – who the NYT named in their story today as Gov. Spitzer.

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    • 11 Responses to “Scandal in NY: “Senior advisors” say Gov. Spitzer has admitted involvement in prostitution ring”

    Comments

    1. LeatherPenguin says:
      March 10, 2008 at 4:07 pm

      Unless dragged kicking and screaming, Eliot won’t quit.

      He’s no different from Mrs Clinton: he believes he deserves his position.

    2. Mwalimu Daudi says:
      March 10, 2008 at 4:31 pm

      Spitzer is the archtypical modern Democrat politician – vain, arrogant, and corrupt. It is ironic that one single article (from the otherwise Democrat-friendly Times) has reduced him to the political equivalent of a salted slug.

      Sort of makes you wonder what the political landscape would look like if the MSM made telling the truth a habit.

    3. Fat Tone says:
      March 10, 2008 at 4:34 pm

      Not ONE of the news outlets has as of yet, labeled him a democrat.

    4. Leslie says:
      March 10, 2008 at 5:25 pm

      The third graf of the Times story on the website describes him as a “first term Democrat.”

      Anyway, there are maybe three people in the state, and maybe three hundred in America, that think that he’s actually a Libertarian.

      Five more think he’s a Communist.

      Perhaps one or two think he’s a Republican. But only perhaps.

      He’s certainly an embarrassment, and he has been since Day 1.

      Oh, and have I mentioned that in his feud with State Senator Bruno, the GOP majority leader, he sicced the FBI on the Senator. Ah, perfect symmetry.

      If he resigns, his replacement, Lt. Gov. Patterson, is a longtime Democratic clubhouse pol who I have learned is legally blind–something I did not know before. I’m sure he’s perfectly capable of restoring order.

      The first thing he should do is bring in Sen. Bruno, apologize to him, and say “let’s work together.”

      I wish I could tell you all if the Lt. Gov. serves only until a special election is held, the next regularly scheduled election, or for the remainder of Gov. Spitzer’s term. I suspect the latter.

      I’ll try to find out.

      Talk about what goes around comes around . . .

      :o

    5. Lorica says:
      March 10, 2008 at 6:15 pm

      Spitzer is expected to resign

      And Sometime this Summer, before the DNC convention he will be asked to be the Veep. You watch, only in the Democratic party can a man stumble upwardly. If not Veep someone will make sure he is Attorney General. =)) As FDR said, it takes a criminal to catch a criminal, isn’t that right Mr. Kennedy. – Lorica

    6. stackja says:
      March 10, 2008 at 11:14 pm

      Reminds me of the Harper Valley PTA.

    7. alchemist says:
      March 11, 2008 at 9:42 am

      So, I have three (relatively unconnected) opinions on this case.

      1) Spitzer should go. Now. As someone who’s prosecuted prostitution rings for a chunk of his career, he knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it. If he shows so much contempt that he will step up and break that he has enforced, he shouldn’t be around to write new ones.

      2) Other than cases where affairs “break the law” or “abuse public resources” (or upright hypocrisy), I am generally unconcerned with political affairs or political prostitution. I wish it didn’t happen, but this sort of thing is as old as the Roman Empire, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

      3) I am more concerned about the hypocrisy than the prostitution, for reasons slated in (2). I felt the same way with Larry Craig, or Randall Tobias. Two men who felt very sincerely about our nation’s “moral purity” but didn’t feel any need for “personal purity”. That’s the problem with politicians in general.

    8. Leslie says:
      March 11, 2008 at 11:00 am

      Following up my post of last evening: Yes, Lt. Gov. Patterson (still in that office as of this moment)would become Governor of New York for the rest of Spitzer’s term, which expires in 2011. The Majority Leader of the Senate, Republican Joe Bruno, becomes Lt. Gov. Whether he keeps his Senate job or not, I don’t know yet.

      I’ll try to find that out.

      For those who don’t know, here are some of the Governors of New York State:

      Theodore Roosevelt(R), Al Smith (D), Franklin Roosevelt(D), Herbert Lehman(D), Thomas E. Dewey(R), Averill Harriman(D), Nelson A. Rockefeller(R), Hugh Carey(D), Mario Cuomo(D), George Pataki(R).

      Quite a distinguished group, all in all. (Until now, that is.) Let’s hope Mr. Patterson proves worthy of inclusion.

      :-?