Thank You, Sex Scandal!

Lovechildren, gay affairs, and hookers, oh my!

(NEWSER) - From Eliot Spitzer’s $80,000 worth of prostitute action to Mark Sanford “hiking the Appalachian trail,” this decade has been ripe with political sex scandals. The Frisky picks the juiciest. Some of the slightly-lesser-discussed affairs:

• Mike Duvall: A self-described “family values warrior” in the California State Assembly spilled about his mistress—while miked—meaning that a whole bunch of politicians got to hear about his propensity for “spanking her.”

Dems wonder if feds' prostitution sting was politically motivated

(NEWSER) - The House Financial Services Committee is poised to open an inquiry into the investigation that led to Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, the New York Times reports, with Democratic members wondering aloud if the federal probe could have been a politically motivated hit job. The former New York governor was not charged in the prostitution scandal, so the inquiry will be the only detailed examination. More»

Not enough evidence against former NY governor in prostitution case

(NEWSER) - Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer will not be charged in connection with his involvement in a prostitution ring, the New York Times reports, as federal prosecutors could not adequately connect payments made by Spitzer. “The public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter,” the US attorney for New York said in a written statement. More»

Hooker reveals Dupre's transformation from 'little lamb' to call-girl

(NEWSER) - New York's self-proclaimed No. 1 escort recounts how she introduced Eliot Spitzer’s $4,300-an-hour call girl to the drug-fueled world of prostitution in an upcoming book, The Price. Natalie McLennan reveals, in an excerpt in the New York Post, how within months Ashley Dupre transformed from a “little lamb” hotel clerk to a hard-partying, drugged-up hooker who “could barely keep her eyes open.” More»

Plea deal could land 23-year-old up to 27 months in jail

(NEWSER) - The woman who managed the prostitution ring that brought down New York governor Eliot Spitzer copped a plea yesterday in federal court, the AP reports. Cecil Suwal, 23, giggled and cried during a Manhattan hearing at which she pleaded guilty to money-laundering and promoting prostitution at the Emperors Club VIP service, where clients like Spitzer paid up to $5,500 an hour. More»