Impeachment looming for Spitz?

WCBS is reporting this morning that impeachment proceedings are likely in the works for disgraced NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer if he refuses to step down within the next 48 hours:

NEW YORK (CBS) Ò€‒ If Gov. Eliot Spitzer opts to roll the dice and not resign, state Republican leadership will force him to go all-in and call for his impeachment from office, according to a state Assemblyman.

Sources told CBS 2 HD shortly after it was reported that the governor was linked to a prostitution ring that he would likely hand in his resignation, which could happen within the next 36 hours.

A throng of media members camped outside Spitzer’s Upper East Side apartment on 5th Avenue between 79th and 80th streets Tuesday morning should any new developments break. It’s believed Spitzer was holed up inside receiving counsel from advisors and weighing the possibility of resigning.

Many seem to agree that will happen sooner than later.

State Assemblyman James Tedisco (R-Schenectady) told CBS 2 HD that he spoke with Lt. Governor Paterson Monday evening and that the two discussed Paterson taking on a new role of leadership, leading Tedisco to believe that action was “forthcoming.”

Tedisco said if Spitzer does not resign according to a deadline — believed to be 48 hours — that’s been imposed, state Republican leadership will call for impeachment proceedings to begin.

Should Spitz resign or be impeached, we could cross one superdelegate off of Hillary’s list. NRO Campaign Spot’s Jim Geraghty points to an interesting tidbit of information on the number of total delegates and superdelegates and how Spitz’s removal from the superdelegate count would guarantee there would be no tie, in the unlikely event that it could happen:

The Democratic race won’t come down to one superdelegate. But if it did, how wild would it be for Hillary Clinton’s presidential dreams to fall short because of another, completely different, philandering Democratic governor?

I also note that there are 4048 total delegates (including super) for the Democrats. If Spitzer resigns, it removes the (obviously extremely slim) possibility of a 2024 to 2024 tie.

Ann Althouse notes how Spitzer’s fall from grace has already become fodder for evening/late night TV talk show hosts (h/t: Instapundit).

Brian Ross at ABC’s Blotter blog writes about how Spitz was implicated in the prostitution ring:

The federal investigation of a New York prostitution ring was triggered by Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s suspicious money transfers, initially leading agents to believe Spitzer was hiding bribes, according to federal officials.

It was only months later that the IRS and the FBI determined that Spitzer wasn’t hiding bribes but payments to a company called QAT, what prosecutors say is a prostitution operation operating under the name of the Emperor’s Club.

As recently as this past Valentine’s Day, Feb. 13, Spitzer, who officials say is identified in a federal complaint as “Client 9,” arranged for a prostitute “Kristen” to meet him in Washington, D.C.

The woman met Client 9 at the Mayflower Hotel, room 871, “for her tryst,” according to the complaint. Client 9 also is alleged to have paid for the woman’s train tickets, cab fare, mini bar and room service, travel time and hotel.

The suspicious financial activity was initially reported by a bank to the IRS which, under direction from the Justice Department, brought in the FBI’s Public Corruption Squad.

“We had no interest at all in the prostitution ring until the thing with Spitzer led us to learn about it,” said one Justice Department official.

Spitzer, who made his name by bringing high-profile cases against many of New York’s financial giants, is likely to be prosecuted under a relatively obscure statute called “structuring,” according to a Justice Department official.

On a related note, Tom Blumer plays “name that party” and points out how ABC’s The Blotter, in a companion piece to their reporting on the Spitzer scandal, left out the party names of all but one of the Democrats they noted had been involved in sex scandals. By contrast, all Republicans were identified by their party. Surprise.

Last but not least, the Wall Street Journal has a piece up today about the rise and fall of Gov. Spitzer. Consider it a must-read.

Read tons more stories and blogger reax via Memeorandum.

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