The fall of Eliot Spitzer: “Client Number 9?” Update: Report - Expected to resign; Report - indicted?; Update: “I apologize to my family. I apologize to the public.” Rumor: Resignation at 7pm?; Federal wiretap info; Wall Street cheered; Update: The alias (”George Fox”) and the affidavit
Scroll down for updates…3:00pm Eastern Spitzer is expected to resign…Wow. This is an astounding turn of events for a ruthlessly ambitious, self-styled crusader against corruption. Proverbs 16:18, anyone?…3:06pm Eastern Fox sources reporting that Spitzer has been indicted in the Emperors’ Club case (update - Fox clarifies that it’s not an indictment, but a sealed criminal complaint…here it is…)…3:15pm Eastern. Via WCBSTV, which livestreamed Spitzer’s brief statement: “I apologize to my family. I apologize to the public to whom I promised better…I do not believe in the long run that politics is about individuals…I failed to live up to standard I expected of myself…I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family…I will get back to you in short order”…No questions. No reference to the prostitution ring. No reference to resigning. No reference to indictment….WCBS reports Albany buzz about possible resignation at 7pm and swearing-in of Lt. Gov. David Paterson…WCBS TV’s Marcia Kramer was in the room for Spitzer’s statement. She says his wife was by his side….Allah notes information about Spitzer getting caught on a federal wiretap…His alias? George Fox…here’s the affidavit…
Mr. Clean–you know, the guy who called himself a “f–king steamroller” –comes clean:
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 scheduled an announcement for 2:15 after inquiries from the Times.
Mr. Spitzer, a first term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform an 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.
Mr. Spitzer appeared on a CNBC television show at 7 a.m. the next morning. Later in the morning, he testified before a Congressional committee.
An affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan in connection with that case lists six conversations between the man, identified as Client 9, and a booking agent for the Emperors Club.
He had a difficult first year in office, rocked by a mix of scandal and legislative setbacks. In recent weeks, however, Mr. Spitzer seemed to have rebounded, with his Democratic party poised to perhaps gain control of the state Senate for the first time in four decades.
Mr. Spitzer gained national attention when he served as attorney general with his relentless pursuit of Wall Street wrongdoing. As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.
JWF notes this passage:
As attorney general, he also had prosecuted at least two prostitution rings as head of the state’s organized crime task force.
In one such case in 2004, Mr. Spitzer spoke with revulsion and anger after announcing the arrest of 16 people for operating a high-end prostitution ring out of Staten Island.
“”This was a sophisticated and lucrative operation with a multitiered management structure,” Mr. Spitzer said at the time. ”It was, however, nothing more than a prostitution ring.”
He had been scheduled to meet with family planning activists this morning and canceled. NY politicos are “shocked.” Very sad for his family. Allah will have vid of the press conference.
More about the prostitution ring, the Emperor’s Club…Is Spitzer “Client Number 9?”
Four organisers and managers of the international ring were arrested by US authorities and charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution laws, Newsday.com reported.
Another two of the men were also accused of attempting to launder more than $1.08 million in illicit proceeds from business.
The ring was known as the Emperor’s Club VIP and offered 50 prostitutes in New York, Paris, Washington, Miami and London, The New York Times reported.
The appointments, made through an online booking service, cost between $1076 and $5921 an hour.
The United States attorney’s office said the leader of the ring was Mark Brener, 62, of New Jersey, who delegated operational duties to Cecil Suwal, 23, also of New Jersey, the newspaper reported.
Suwal oversaw the ring’s accounts and oversaw two booking agents, Tameka Rachelle Lewis, 32 of Brooklyn, and Tanya Hollander, 36, of Rhinebeck, New York, according to court papers quoted by the paper.
If found guilty, Lewis and Hollander face a maximum of five years in prison.
Brener and Suwal each face an additional 20 years in prison, if convicted of the money laundering charge.
The group’s website, which can be access through an internet archiving service, described its services in an indirect manner.
A section of the site, Portfolio, had a selection of photos of women, all with their faces obscured.
Under each photo and mononym was a rating using diamond symbols that ranged from three to seven.
“We offer a convenient variety of services globally,” the introduction to a 2007 version of the site states.
“Specializing [sic] in deluxe concierge, model introduction, spokes model and contemporary art is our expertise.
“We act for a select group of educated, refined and successful international clients who give their best in all they do and who, in return, only wish to receive the best.
“Our meticulous standards ensure that you always experience the quality you’ve come to expect in a world-class service when working with Emperors’ Club vip.
“Best of all, our innovative social introduction / dating services allow you a luxuriously enjoyable dating / travel experience with ‘no strings attached.’
The NYSun:
Mr. Spitzer, who abruptly this morning canceled his scheduled meetings today in Albany, alerted his staff today that he was connected to an investigation of a prostitution service that charged up to $5,500 an hour.
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.
Federal prosecutors last week unsealed a criminal complaint charging four people with running Emperors Club VIP, which advertised itself as an escort service. Prosecutors say the Emperors Club employed more than 50 high-end prostitutes.
Flip Pidot: From Troopergate to Shtupergate.
Lawhawk plays Name That Party.
***
Timeline…Fox reporting that Spitzer may have been in D.C. on Feb. 13, cellphone records reportedly show him contacting the Emperor’s Club that night, then appearing on Capitol Hill early the next morning.
Via the US Attorney’s Office press release, March 6, re. the Emperors’ Club bust:
MICHAEL J. GARCIA, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, MARK J. MERSHON, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and PATRICIA J. HAYNES, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigative Division (“IRSCID”), announced today the unsealing of charges against MARK BRENER, a/k/a “Michael,” CECIL SUWAL, a/k/a “Katie,” a/k/a
“Kate,” TEMEKA RACHELLE LEWIS, a/k/a “Rachelle,” and TANYA HOLLANDER, a/k/a “Tania Hollander,” for their roles as organizers and managers of an international prostitution and money-laundering ring called the Emperors Club VIP (the “Emperors Club”). All four defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL were also charged with conspiring to launder more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from the prostitution crimes. BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER were all arrested this morning, and are expected in Manhattan federal court later today for their initial appearances. According to the Complaint unsealed today:BRENER, SUWAL, LEWIS, and HOLLANDER used the Emperors Club to arrange connections between wealthy male clients and more than 50 prostitutes in, among other places, New York, New York; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France. The defendants charged the
clients fees ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,500 per hour for prostitution services.The Emperors Club took in more than $1 million in illicit proceeds from its international prostitution business. It accepted payment in the form of cash, American Express
charges, wire transfers, and money orders. To conceal the illegal nature of the business, BRENER and SUWAL received prostitution proceeds in United States bank accounts in the names
of front companies, including two accounts in the names of “QAT Consulting Group, Inc.,” and “QAT International, Inc.” The Emperors Club advertised their prostitution
services in part through the use of a website that included photographs of Emperors Club prostitutes’ bodies, with their faces hidden, along with hourly rates for different categories of
prostitutes. The Website ranked the prostitutes using a ranking system from one to seven diamonds, and charged hourly rates according to the assigned ranking. According to the Website, the Emperors Club charged $1,000 per hour for a three-diamond prostitute, and $3,100 per hour for a seven-diamond prostitute. The Website also offered the Emperors Club’s most valued clients “membership” in the “Icon Club,” a status which allowed the clients to access restricted areas of the Website and permitted them to schedule appointments with the most highly-ranked prostitutes, whose fees started at $5,500 per hour. According to the Website, in certain circumstances, the Emperors Club also
offered its clients the opportunity to exercise a “buy-out clause,” which permitted them to purchase direct access to one of the Emperors Club’s prostitutes without having to contact the agency.BRENER was allegedly the leader of the Emperors Club, with ultimate decision-making authority. He recruited prospective prostitutes, determined how to market the Club’s
prostitutes to clients, and resolved problems that arose. SUWAL was the day-to-day organizer of the Club’s operations. She controlled the Emperors Club bank accounts,
supervised the booking agents, and received applications from the prospective prostitutes.LEWIS and HOLLANDER were allegedly booking agents for the Club. They took requests from clients and coordinated meetings with prostitutes over the telephone, and referred issues relating to payment to SUWAL.
In connection with today’s takedown, the FBI and IRS-CID executed three search warrants on locations connected to the Emperors Club’s operations and four seizure warrants for bank
accounts containing proceeds of the organization’s criminal activities.BRENER, 62, and SUWAL, 23, both reside in New Jersey; LEWIS, 32, resides in Brooklyn, New York; and HOLLANDER, 36, resides in Rhinebeck, New York. If convicted, the defendants
face maximum sentences of 5 years in prison on the count charging conspiracy to violate the federal prostitution statutes; BRENER and SUWAL face additional maximum sentences of 20 years in prison on the money-laundering conspiracy count.Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative work of the FBI and IRS-CID.
Assistant United States Attorneys BOYD M. JOHNSON III, RITA GLAVIN, and DANIEL STEIN are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely
accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Update 4:10pm Eastern. Brenda Buttner on FNC reports that Wall Street cheered upon hearing the news of Spitzer’s troubles. The joke among traders about the Emperors’ Club scandal is that Spitzer the Emperor had no clothes–literally.
Update 4:13pm Eastern. More on the wiretap.
Update 5:30pm Eastern. Ed Morrissey takes a short trip down Spitzer memory lane.
Update 8:00pm Eastern. Suspicious money transfers tipped the feds off.
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- SLIMEBAG SPITZER TO RESIGN AT ANY MOMENT « The Catskill Commentator
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- This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy
- SPITZER CAUGHT IN PROSTITUTION SCANDAL « Texas Hold ‘Em Blogger
- Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York, Linked to Prostitution Ring as Client 9 … Resignation Cannot be Far Away | Scared Monkeys
- Dem NY Governor Is Alleged Whorehopper « Out West
- Diary of the Mad Pigeon
- Spitzer Can’t Communicate his Way out of Sex Scandal
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- It’s Never Good When “Prostitutes” and “New York Governor” Appear in the Same Headline : The Sundries Shack
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- A Spitzing Image:If Eliot Spitzer Is A Fraud, What About Santa? : The Feldman Blog
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- Hillary Clinton, Iron My Shirts Stunt vs Spitzer — atLindas
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As someone somewhere once said: heh.
Oh man is this gonna go ballistic
Ooops! You’ve gotta hate it when that happen, huh, Governor.
The higher one puts himself/herself on a pedestal, the farther they have to fall.
I wonder if somewhere down the road he’ll use the “it depends on what the definition of is is” defense.
And this is different than government today, how?
But seriously, I wonder if this will get the same amount of coverage Senator Wide Stances public restroom forays.
Democrats will wash their hands of this by ignoring as much as possible. Were the prostitutes “illegal with drivers licenses?” Hillary must be ashamed. Her husband, now Spitzer who screwed her up with licenses for illegals. WAKE UP lefties. You are wrong on so many issues and the people who represent youare none the better.
The whole Democratic party at the moment is just so delicious. I am so entertained by these morons. They just keep sticking their foot in their mouths. Affirmative action showing up with Barack and Hillary. Law breaking by Spitzer. Rezko making a place along with Obama’s reverend. This is so much better than anything on TV.
I guess he should have pushed for legalized prostitution instead of drivers licenses for illegal aliens.
Ha Ha
Looks to me that the DEMS have found their V.P. Nomination
It’s only sex. Right? Not that it interferes with his daily work, or anything else. Just like Clinton.
/sarcasm off.
On March 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm, NotaSlickFan said:
I wonder if somewhere down the road he’ll use the “it depends on what the definition of is is” defense.
No, it’s just a vast right wing conspiracy against him.
Just political partying without regard for We the People. Business as usual for the bloated bureaucrats. Nothing to see here folks!
Spitzer=party of disenfranchised. All he was trying to do was ‘franchise’ the business. What’s wrong with that. Go VP.
If this was a Republican governor, everyone would be calling for his head and his resignation…NOW.
Wait. I think Eliot is channeling Willy. What? What is that you are saying?… “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”?
Okay. Apparently, according to Eliot, they were just sitting in a hotel room getting to know one another on a more intimate level. Nothing to see here. Move along, now.
This self-promotion is disgusting!
Spitzer is blatantly pandering to the Democrat party to wrestle the Vice Presidential bid away from Barack L. Ron Obama.
How sad for his wife and daughters. How sad for the American people who cannot seem to have people of integrity to lead. Perhaps the driver license debacle was indicative of something loose behind the wheel. Power corrupts.
I guess this means he can run for Senator via Barny Frank style.
What an idiot! Playing by the rules are for all of us “little” people….
How many of these girls were illegal immigrants ?
He was just going undercover in order to do his job…
Whoa! How the mighty fall.
Yeah, but he’s not, so he’ll blubber and whine and blame it on Bush and everybody will shrug and forget about it.
“The ring was known as the Emperor’s Club VIP and offered 50 prostitutes in New York, Paris, Washington, Miami and London, The New York Times reported.”
“The appointments, made through an online booking service, cost between $1076 and $5921 an hour.”
I want to see the client list from the Washington D.C Area.
For Dems, this is a resume enhancer. Looks like he’ll be moving up fast in the party hierarchy.
Take your pick…
“House of the Rising Sun”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBGXwX-TdTY
“Love Potion #9″
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKSy5I3zsAA
Heads will only roll if it’s found that he used taxpayer money to pay for his trysts. Otherwise it’ll make him more popular with the base, just like with Clinton.
Obama’s final nail?
If Elliot spitzer prosicuted and jailed people for Prositution how can he now argue for lienency ?
I don’t see how this hurts Clinton. In fact, given that she won the senate in part because of Bill’s philandering, maybe this helps her.
Because he’s better than us mere mortals.
Big whoop- look at all the governmental incompetency, malfeasance and coverups. I’m sure the NY Times will feature these sordid stories at least as much as the Abu Graib ones. Where is the mainstream media on the Obama Chicago corruption stuff? zzzzzzzzzzzz.
How many former Clintonites have dirty hands? Oh, forgive me, they were victims of Ken Starr’s witch hunt.
Why should spitzer be any different than what goes on all the time with NJ politics? Will he be resigning? After all it is only about sex and powerful men have strong sex drives.
Well so much for that whole ‘Mr. Crimefighter’ thang.
I think this song is a little more applicable.
LOL, it’s not like he was just tapping his toe or something.
Hmm, if he’s resigning there has to be more to this than him just sleeping around. He must’ve used state resources somehow and is now trying to nip the scandal in the bud before we find something that’s a cause for conviction.
A badge of honor for a democrap politician.
Wonder if she had a New York drivers license?
I wonder how much play this will get compared to the Rudy thing in November? This will be a great comparison.
Gives the Governors Ball a whole new meaning…..
Come on now. Everyone knows Republicans don’t have straight sex scandals.
The chief mistake was him not having the last name Clinton or Kennedy…well, that and the prostitutes.
Well, Larry Craig’s was free, so does that mean he was the more fiscally converative man-whore?
Heh heh. Excellent point.
I love it! A raise…lol…that’s great!
Oops wrong thread!
Methinks he doth protest too much.
Another Dem showing his true colors, with a healthy dose of “do as I say, not as I do.”
Wotta putz.
If he wasn’t such a wimp he could have found a woman in a lounge for the price of a couple of champaign cocktails. BTW who picked up the tab for this floozy?
Leave it to AJ….
Heh, Governor’s Ball…Heh heh..
WAIT!!! A DEMOCRAT involved in a sex and corruption scandal is getting CHARGED and RESIGNING?!? What does he think he is?!? A Republican?!?
This is certainly a resume enhancer on the left, though.
I’ll laugh myself silly if they were illegal alien hookers.
His defense: “I was only stimulating the economy”
Doesn’t this man have any interns?
yeah aloha, you just cracked the case…lmao the main reason he wanted them to get to their appts. worry free.
nuttin like a stressed out hooker.
cueing the late night talk show writers……. what a field day they have for tonight. nothing like material dumping right in your lap.
In June 2005, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson hailed Eliot Spitzer as “the future of the (Democratic) party.”
Need there be more said about the Democrat party?
Michelle, I appreciate the tone of your posting, when so many in the blogosphere take such a delight in the misery of those they disagree with (that is beyond pointing out the hypocrisy and irony of it, which is certainly fair game). Let’s not lose our compassion and wish maximum pain just because it’s a guy on the other side. That’s something Kossies or HuffPoites would do.
The poor wives always have to stand next to these a-holes. I couldn’t do it.
Someone at work had switched the TV to MSNBC so I took a few minutes to listen to their “spin” on things. What I found interesting was when they proceeded to list other scandals involving governors it was always “Republican Governor so-and-so” or “Governor so-and-so” when it was a democrat. Not once was it mentioned or shown on the screen that Spitzer is a democrat. And some people still insist MSNBC isn’t biased; HA!
I knew that guy was suspect right from day one.
“The appointments, made through an online booking service, cost between $1076 and $5921 an hour.”
and I wonder where that money came from.. you got it - taxpayers.
Another case of democrapic ‘do as I say, not as I do’ syndrome.
Wow… so many interesting angles to take here. Such as:
“Why is this kind of prostitution illegal in the first place?” You can make (and defend) all kinds of claims about prostitution victimizing women - but not in this case. If this were legalized and controlled, you’d have a fighting chance of keeping organized crime out of it, which leads us to…
Did the Governor or New York get naked with someone affiliated with organized crime? Or was it just regular crime? Any chance that it was foreign crime, given that the ring was international?
No chance at blackmail or State Security issues there. Naahhhh…
or… do you think he can take the McGreevy approach and say something like: “My truth is that I am a horny American…” ???
No, these aren’t the real questions we need answered. The real questions burning on everyone’s minds are:
1. How long before he is offered Tenure at one of the “leading colleges in America?”
a. 1 week
b. 1 month
c. 3 months
d. 60 Minutes.
2. Which “school” is Spitzer most likely to work at?
a. Berkley
b. Harvard
c. Columbia
d. The Heidi Fleiss School of Etiquette
3. What course is he most likely to teach?
a. Clintonian Ethics
b. Theology: Why 4 and a half Commandments is more than enough
c. The Lesser Known Landmarks of Washington DC
d. PoliSci IV: Is that a Bill in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?
Where are the trolls to dismiss this as much ado about nothing, and after all everybody needs to express their sexuality and the real problem is that prostitution is illegal?
10 second press conference…with no resignation???
Well it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
He just asked for FORGIVENESS.How he let his family down.Blah blah,the usual.The Dems will get this blown over.They can’t afford this scandal during the election cycle.
Check their driver’s licenses and S.S. cards
Times like this he wishes he was Gov of Nevada……
Is he not a major Hillary backer? like the LA Mayor and her husband….the men around Hillary cannot keep their zippers shut!!! funny and neat all at the same time.
re: #59 - Similarly, the AP report does NOT state this scumbag Democrat’s party affiliation.
I guess it only matters when Rs do something bad.
Maybe NOW the NYT will get serious about the loans that Mr. Spitzer gave to his politician son, Eliot, over his various political stages. It’s just as dubious a case as this one.
geez! with ears that big you think he would have heard the Feds coming!
Spitzer NEVER mentioned resignation in his confusing and short statement to the press today. He did, however, mention that this is a private matter (the old Clinton excuse.) Let’s wait to see if the Southern District of NY feels the same way.
Just another example of moral relativism at work. As with Bill Cllinton it isn’t about the individual but about the collective. We will see if Spitzer attempts to use Clintonian logic to stay in power. (In the great world of secular socialistic thought, religion with its moral absolutes is to be criticized and big government with its everybody a victim philosophy is to be lauded. Spitzer, therefore, is a more a cog in a machine than a real person with real failings.)
Spitzer is a human being and like all of us a sinner. We should all pray for him and his family, the fall from grace is quite a tragic one here.
Does this make his wife qualified to be governor now?
Surfing around, I could not find a single article that put a (D) behind his name.
A little Schadenfreude to start out the week.
As someone who has never needed to pay for sex, I’m a little confused: What, exactly, do these women do that commands $5500 per hour?!? Deliver a complete home theater with big plasma TV and a surround system and make a couple of mortgage payments in addition to your ’round-the-world?
The most high-powered attorneys don’t bill that much, so what’s up here? Unless you get to shag Angelina Jolie (and get the plasma TV), I just don’t see the basis for the price tag.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. After all the misery he caused others with his rabid desire for prosecutorial glory, it just seems fitting.
So, rumor has it that The Spitz is going to punt at 7pm tonight to “quietly make this go away.” The only problem is that this won’t ever quietly go away. After he punts, no law firm on earth will ever touch him. Bill Clinton is Bill Clinton (and he can reverse gravy-train off President-Elect Yoko Ono — for a change), but the Spitz? What does he have that can help him get over? My guess is: not much. Sucks for you, Eliot. *out*
Hey, it’s OK!
Libs get a free pass on unethical behaviors.
How dare we conservatives speak ill of this man!
….another one bites the dust……
LOL!!
Being that New York is my birth state, I cannot miss the irony of Spitzer’s situation. He was going to do so much good, too. Clean up Wall Street, give illegal immigrants NYS drivers’ licenses, and make New York state government more “efficient.” Again, Spitzer seems to have gotten caught in his own trap.
If it isn’t the actual corruption or lack of ethics that gets you, then the illicit sex will.
Ya know, I was going to agree with some of you that indicated we should feel some empathy perhaps, or at least pray for him.
I will agree he needs people to pray for him right now, and has always, and likely will always.
But after the totally arrogant performance he has delivered as AG and now governor, it’s actually quite refreshing to see him tumble. Although I don’t live in NY, he has the potential to rise above state level politics, and his past persectutions of Wall St. and national corps. have influenced things far beyond his state.
On the other hand, like I said before, (which was said way before me), this is probably more of a badge of honor or resume enhancement for the left.
His ears sure do put Obama’s in perspective, though.
Dang it, AJ. I have to clean the coffee off my monitor again.
And his replacement? Just what we need - another politician who lies about his background.
#40 Mookie said:
As Rosie O’Donnel would say, “Is that even important?”
1. Straight or gay, Eliot Spitzer’s liberal audacity and irresponsibility has just brought NY State government to a grinding halt.
2. It’s sad that someone, as open minded as you, would interject the scorched-earth politics of personal destruction (gay vs. straight) at such a serious moment in NY State politics.
Hmmm … I can’t help but notice that a New York Times story is featured … Where’s the fishwrap?
Hollander, Hollander, hmmmm… Any relation to the infamous Xaviera???
One of my physics students is from NY. She is going to get ribbed from me tomorrow.
Something else just came to mind: Tony Villar didn’t have to pay Marthala Salinas. What’s he got that Spitz ain’t?
Hmmmmmm…..
lmao, he says for a private matter? say what!!?? hello?
typical dem crapweasel….
#84, learn to take a joke.
Lots of talk about a possible 7 PM resignation. I’ll believe it when I see it.
However, if it is revealed that Eliot Spitzer (D) tapped his toe at one of the prostitutes from underneath a partition…he’s finished.
for $5,500.00 per hour I’m sure you wouldnt waste precious minutes toe tappin…..
I’m going to watch over the next few days and compare the coverage of this to the bathroom stall incident of Larry Craig.
The Democrats always seem to promise ethics, but that’s a misnomer, because the crux of their party is becoming “do it if it feels good.” That’s not ethical, it’s selfish.
If this is prostitution, then I guess the whole theory of the far left that republicans are nothing more than sexually repressed old men applies to them as well?
I wonder what will happen to Spitzer’s Super Delegate status.
It couldn’t happen to a better man. I always thought this guy was a bigger slime ball than most politicians. H impresses me as being just like the Clintons - full of slime and power hungry.
#90 taylork said:
Apologies, I’m still getting used to the liberals rules regarding who can joke about race, sexual preference, middle names, etc., and when they can do it…but I’m learning.
Speaking of jokes…why don’t you and Mookie floor us with one about Spitzer being Jewish? It might be as funny as the gay-straight one from earlier.
A Rabbi, a Priest, and Elliot Spitzer walk into a bar…
The public info so far is just the unsealed complaint. That is a document that starts the ball rolling for the grand jury process, search warrants, etc. Given that the complaint was filed over a month ago, it is very possible that indictments from the grand jury are just being handed down. I think it would be difficult politically to indict the working girls and their pimps and not the clients.
What is more interesting is that this was apparently a busy enterprise. Expect other high profile names to filter out soon.
RobM1981 #61, forget the university gig. This is going to be a big book deal and speaking circuit.
The gals on the view will be outraged that this poor man is being persecuted for trying to help out young ladies trying to raise a kid with no support from the no-good dad who skipped town. Either that, or he was just about to make an arrest when the feds showed up.
The material and scenarios are endless.
Maybe he could start a law firm with some of his buddies, say the law firm of Frank, Craig & Spitzer LLP. Oh wait, Craig just tapped his foot. I wonder if Craig gave Spitzer the advice not to resign . . . Spitzer is just a typical holier-than-thou Lib Democrat.
What is your problem? With the exception of David Vitter, the recent Republican sex scandals have involved homosexual relations, hence the joke. It wasn’t a slur against gays, if that’s what you’re trying to make it.
lol taylork….
and a skeleton walks in orders a beer and a mop…
I wonder if the NYT will go out of its way to leak some confidential info. Probably not since it doesn’t harm national security.
eBabe?
This guy can’t be too bright. Did he think the Governor of New York could carouse with prostitutes and not get caught?
“Mr. Spitzer, a first term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform an end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.”
Didn’t another lib promise ethics reforms. . . oh yeah, Nancy Pelosi. I wonder what she’s up too. . . . besides derailing anti-earmark legislation.
You beat me to it. A liberal buddy of mine just came in and said he resigned. He needs to come over to the light at MM.com. I told him no, he has not but may make the announcement at 7:00pm. I told him I would believe it at 7:30pm. IMHO, he will NOT resign.
you need new friends….
I predict all the Dems will be advising against a “rush to judgement” and “let’s wait and see what the facts are”. He is after all, just a victim of this “unfortunate incident”. Eventually, Spitzer will “accept full responibility”, forced to attend sex-addiction counseling and “start the healing process”. Maybe he will even do an appearance on Oprah.
Is Lt. Gov. Paterson completely blind or legally blind?
There is a word that defines this entire episode as far as Mr. Spitzer goes and that word is Hubris.
Looks like Ray Nagin isn’t the only vagina friendly democrat. The party of Bill Clinton is turning in to Bill Clinton.
AJ,
Yes, but just a few!
Dunno, but I’m betting all the dems didn’t say that it was a token gesture like they did In Maryland with Robert Ehrlich and Krisetn Cox(who is also blind).
I will say that it’s a bit odd that he’s saying he was apart of the “ring.” To me that sounds like he was more than just a John/client. It makes it sounds like he had a vested financial interest, when it’s clear he didn’t.
The ring was known as the Emperor’s Club VIP and offered 50 prostitutes in New York, Paris, Washington, Miami and London, The New York Times reported.
So it’s true, the Emperor wears no clothes!
$1000.00-5000.00 for dictation? Prices have gone up!
Let’s look at New York’s prostitution law, and at D.C.’s, which is worded identically. The two laws define prostitution as the exchange of sexual conduct, as defined by the statute, for a fee. That means that if a fee does not pay for sexual conduct within the meaning of the law, the transaction is not prostitution, at least legally speaking. Escort services like Emperors Club VIP have long used this to put a legal wall between the fee and the sexual conduct. A typical legal disclaimer on an escort website goes as follows:
Money exchanged in legal personal services is for time and companionship only. Anything that may occur is strictly the personal choice of two or more consenting adults of legal age, and nothing additional is contracted for, requested to be contracted for or compensated for in any manner. This is not an offer of prostitution.
Neither time nor companionship are enumerated as falling within the definition of sexual conduct in the penal code. That is why the escort industry has felt free to openly advertise on the Internet and in the Yellow Pages. Prosecutors like Spitzer might come on like gangbusters against the poor schnooks who make their presence known on Craigslist but are wary of going after the big operations that are lawyered up. Like career burglars, they seek the easiest targets to knock off.
I hope this sheds light on how Spitzer might give his variation on “It depends on what the meaning of is is,” that some of you have raised.
Spitzer got caught doing the “Wild Thing” outside of his marriage, courtesy of Tone Loc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=387ZDGSKVSg
aj, #55, ewe….
If Spitzer runs for office again, he can use “Taking ‘Vagina-Friendly’ To Another Level” as a campaign slogan.
We all await tomorrow’s headline in the NY Post. *Rubs hands in anticipation of the snark.*
I wonder how much taxpayer $$$ he used for his shenanigans.
Inquiring minds want to know.
And Jane “C” Fonda can be his spokesperson.
Ugh though, his poor wife standing there in the picture. It’s a textbook definition of crapweasel, not being man enough to stand up and take it.
Just took a quick read through the complaint. It would appear that “Spritzer”, aka client #9 was not a first timer (discussions of a “credit”, doing things “just like before” and paying a larger fee for “the next time”). It also appears that he had somewhat of a reputation for asking for things some girls thought were “unsafe”.
Wonder why he was caught on a wire tap? Doesn’t a governor have staff to make these arrangements?
Bill Clinton used his state troopers to get him women. Paula Jones was told by a state trooper that the governor wanted to speak to her.
The footage for the next “Jackass” should be interesting…
#97 taylork said:
Good intro, but the punchline is a little flat.
If that’s true this is going to get nasty real quick.
Way OT!!! Yeah! Bill Clinton is gonna be visiting my county tomorrow!!!
Priceless and Perfect.
Spitzer, Schumer, Clinton. My poor state.
Where have you gone Moynihan and D’Amato?
I admit that I don’t know much about Mr. Spitzer, had just heard his name bounced around once or twice. So I wasn’t sure if he was a Dem or a Republican.
Should have known it was a Dem when his affiliation wasn’t mentioned in the headline, nor in the first paragraph. (or second, or third…)
Honestly, I feel sorry for the guy.
As one who has made the terrible mistake of marital infidelity in my past, I can certainly understand what he is going through right now. Pain, confusion, hurt, embarrassment, humiliation, and the sickening realization that you have been suckered into doing what “feels good” and now you are the fool.
Here is what might going through his mind right now - “What have I done? What is wrong with me?!?!? WAS ALL THIS WORTH IT? Seriously, was it? I have lost all respectability. I’ve lost the love and trust of my wife. I’ve hurt my family. I’ve embarrassed myself and my friends. I’m going to lose my job and worst of all I might lose my marriage. For what? FOR WHAT? A few minutes in bed with a strange woman? sheesh.”
Every time I read stories like this I think back to when I crossed over to the dark side for a little “fun”. That one hour ruined my life and I will be kicking myself repeatedly for the rest of my life. My marriage did fail, I wound up alone and I had no one else to blame but myself.
Fortunately, I did find forgiveness in our Creator. He set me back up on my feet and on the straight path. A few years later, the Lord introduced me to someone who made the decision to look past all my mistakes from the past and look forward to what was ahead. Now I have remarried and have a 2 year old little girl with one on the way. The Lord, His mercy endures forever. Amen.
I’ll be praying for Mr. Spitzer and is family. I don’t rejoice in his downfall.
It could have been me.
#101 Mookie said:
Two fold,
1) I’m always told by liberals, when a homosexual is caught doing something wrong, that the sexual orientation of the individual is not relevant; in fact, that the mere mention of the wrong doer’s homosexual orientation is “homophobic” = putting homosexuals in a bad light.
I never understood this liberal charade, but I played along. Then, when a homosexual with a (R) was netted, liberals changed the rules and made sexual orientation a public case and a national pox on the Republican Party. I never understood this as anything other than hypocrisy, (ie. Barney Frank (D) Gary Studds (D) Gooood…Larry Craig (R) Mark Foley (R) Baaaaad.)
2. In addition, I’ve never been happy that most liberals continue to spend their entire, scandal-ridden lives in office, while most Republicans resign the next day. (I don’t condone Republican bad behavior, but certainly, this liberal lack of condemnation has never been good for our system of checks and balances.)
When I see comments regarding past Republican bad behavior the moment word breaks that another liberal is in deep doo-doo, I naturally think to myself: “Here we go again, liberal wrong-doing not so important…Republicans still baaaad.”
I no sooner read your comment, when some liberal hack on MSNBC was mentioning how smart Spitzer is, and that this is just a “private matter.”
I wasn’t implying your comment to be a slur.
The hits just keep coming. Obama & Hillary fighting like 2 cats in a bag. Sharpton likely to file suit over seating Florida delegates. Spitzer playing hide the banana with a hooker. If I had been asked 6 months ago what was the best thing that could happen for the Republicans in this election, I don’t think I could have come up with a better list.
AJ—think the ears are stretched from the wife’s yanking on them.
I always wonder about the wife standing by her man. My man would not be able to walk to the podium…
From his inaugural address:
Governor Spitzer said: “Every policy, every action and every decision we make in this administration will further two overarching objectives: We must transform our government so that it is as ethical and wise as all of New York, and we must rebuild our economy so that it is ready to compete on the global stage in the next century”.
LOL
Liberals being liberals. Why is anyone surprised? They have been morally and ethically bankrupt for decades.
I have to say that his wife looks particularly distressed in this picture.
He obviously gave no thought to his family. Is this why he wanted the internet tax? To get the prostitutes with the highest ratings?
#132 Rageagainstheleft said:
I appreciate your hard earned sense of humility and appreciation for the power of forgiveness, but after reading your words, I can assure you that there is a world of difference between someone who makes a mistake in life, and someone who continues to live their life like Eliot Spitzer.
One example, I have a friend who was repeatedly harassed by AG Eliot Spitzer’s office because my friend “knew” someone who Spitzer was investigating on Wall Street.
Spitzer’s office was told to phone my friend on school nights after 10:30 pm and threaten action unless he “cooperated” with Spitzer. Spitzer’s office would even leave messages for “mommy and daddy” when his 6-year old daughter would pick-up. This enraged my friend into getting a lawyer to handle Spitzer’s harassment. The phone calls soon stopped.
No matter what you have done in life and have been humbled by, I imagine you have never treated others like Spitzer has.
How long until this is pegged as a vast right wing conspiracy?
Garcia, the AG, was former Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 2003-2005
Bill Clinton, Larry Craig, and Eliot Spitzer walk into a bar and say “take our wives…please”
My Thoughts:
1.) Can we throw this argument out now? When Larry Craig was caught up in scandal, people like JWS said that the MSM doesn’t apply the same standards etc. etc. etc.
Look at the coverage of the Spitzer scandal.
CNN
MSNBC
FOXNews
Every major news outlet…
This is at the top of the news.
Yes, there will probably be people who will point this out as “hypocrisy”, “this is all politicians”, etc.
…Just like what people said during the Larry Craig controversy.
Oh, and by the way, Sen. Larry Craig still hasn’t resigned though a MichelleMalkin.com poll said that 74% said that “hell yes” or “yes” he should.
This flies in the face of the argument that GOP make people step down as opposed to the liberals who (as JWS argued) say that wrongdoing “has nothing to do with how they do their jobs”…
2) I see that the times on the postings still are an hour back, so I guess they are correct if you live in Central Time, but whatever floats your boat.
3) Can ANYONE here tell me why that picture/graphic is in place at the bottom of Ms. Malkin’s posting? Right above the 4:10 p.m. update? Is that there for effect? What is the purpose of having that in the posting? Ms. Malkin has a right to post it (it is her blog), I’m just wondering it’s purpose.