Spitzer Swallowed

(Newser) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer had eight or more trysts with prostitutes from the Emperors Club escort agency over the last several years, a source has told Newsday . The sexual encounters, costing as much as $80,000 in cash, unfolded in hotels in Washington, Florida and elsewhere. Spitzer allegedly paid for the encounters by wiring money to front companies set up by the New Jersey operation. One call girl who claimed to have spent time with the governor described him to ABC News as a good tipper. More »

(Newser) - Will the Eliot Spitzer scandal hurt fellow New York Democrat Hillary Clinton, who's all too familiar with the travails of philandering men? Writers are weighing in: Clinton had trouble securing Spitzer's endorsement, writes John Nichols in the Nation , and now, "He is a distraction—the big player in her adopted home state who is now in big, big trouble." One positive: David Paterson would "instantly become Clinton's most prominent African-American backer." More »

(Newser) - Eliot Spitzer needs a lawyer, and luckily, the ex-AG knows a few. Client 9 has put his fate in the hands of Michele Hirshman, his top deputy from his days as New York State's top lawyer. Now a partner at a top-tier New York firm, Hirshman also spent 11 years as a federal prosecutor, heading up the Public Corruption Unit, which just happens to be the outfit Spitzer’s in trouble with. More »

(Newser) - Silda Wall Spitzer, the Harvard-educated lawyer who stood grimly alongside her husband during his somewhat perplexing apology yesterday, joins the ranks of political wives who suffer publicly the sex scandals of their disgraced mates, ABC writes. She follows in the footsteps of Larry Craig's wife, Suzanne; Jim McGreevey's then-wife, Dana: and, of course, Hillary Clinton, an exception in that she didn't share the podium with Bill at his nadir. More »

(Newser) - As Eliot Spitzer mulls his options, the editorial boards of the state's newspapers are weighing in: Wall Street Journal: "The stupendously deluded belief that the sitting governor of New York could purchase the services of prostitutes was the last act of a man unable to admit the existence of, or need for, limits." More »

(Newser) - If Eliot Spitzer doesn’t resign, state Republicans will impeach him. Assemblyman James Tedisco says he’s asked the governor to step down within 48 hours, CBS 2 in New York reports, adding, “I think that’s plenty of time.” Spitzer is currently holed up with his advisors discussing his options, but aides tell the Albany Times-Union they expect a resignation. More »

(Newser) - Eliot Spitzer's reported involvement with a pricey call-girl ring has left, well, everyone scratching their heads, the AP reports. What makes a public figure show such jaw-dropping disregard for the consequences of private actions? One analyst calls it "the psychology of the exception. People in power sometimes feel they can do things that us, mere mortals, are forbidden to do. There's a sense, as with adolescents, that 'I won't get caught.'" More »

(Newser) - Wall Street is reveling in the fall of Eliot Spitzer, who as AG made exposing corruption highly personal, reports the Wall Street Journal. "He actually believes he's above the law," says ex-NYSE director Ken Langone, whom Spitzer sued for paying too much to the Big Board's CEO. "I have never had any doubt about his lack of character and integrity—and he's proven me correct." More »

(Newser) - Eliot Spitzer's biographer was as shocked as anyone to discover his involvement with a prostitution ring yesterday. The New York governor was regarded as a devoted and faithful husband, and his college girlfriends still spoke fondly of him. The whole debacle, writes Brooke Masters in the Financial Times , "serves as a shocking reminder that even the most public figures can have unexpected facets." More »

(Newser) - The inquiry that uncovered New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's alleged assignations with high-priced hookers began in a decidedly unglamorous IRS office in Long Island, reports the New York Times . There, investigators were poring over suspicious bank transactions when they noticed the governor was apparently trying to conceal the transfer of thousands of dollars via what appeared to be shell companies, officials said. More »

(Newser) - Eliot Spitzer, enmeshed in a federal investigation of a prostitution ring, will resign as governor of New York, likely within the next 2 days, CBS 2 in New York reports. Spitzer held a press conference today to apologize but didn't indicate what he was apologizing for and gave no indication of his plans. He has hired a high-powered New York law firm. More »

(Newser) - If Eliot Spitzer resigns, his successor would be David Paterson, who would become the state's first black chief executive. The lieutenant governor, who is legally blind, would serve in the position until having to campaign for election in 2010, reports the National Ledger . Before today, Paterson's name had come up in discussions about filling Hillary Clinton's Senate seat should she win the presidency. More »

(Newser) - Amid reports that Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a wiretap in a prostitution investigation, stunned political bloggers are speculating on whether the New York governor will resign, parsing how we got here—and where we go: Politicians have outlived sex scandals in the past, writes Mark Silva, but “so much of Spitzer’s persona is invested in his own enforcement of the law,” and politics is “unforgiving of hypocrisy.” There’s no resignation yet, but New Yorkers should start reading up on their lieutenant governor. More »

(Newser) - In a brief press conference, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer this afternoon apologized to his family and to the public, "whom I've promised better" for failing "to live up to the standards I set for myself."  The former attorney general is reportedly identified as Client 9 in a federal wiretap investigation that brought down a high-end prostitution ring called the Emperors Club VIP last week. More »

(Newser) - Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York has informed his senior staff that he was involved with a prostitution ring, the New York Times reports. Spitzer has canceled scheduled events for the day and is set to make an announcement this afternoon from his office in Manhattan. Spitzer, who rose to prominence as the state's attorney general, is married and has three children. More »