Spitzer

[rollhead]

March 10, 2008
Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring
By DANNY HAKIM
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 early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.

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.

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.

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.”

Albany for months been roiled by bitter fighting and accusations of dirty tricks. The 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.

[Brian Olewnick]

News vans parked outside (my office is in the same building as Spitzer's). I guess no news conference yet?

So this is from a visit to DC just last month? How dumb are these guys?

[rollhead]

March 10, 2008
'I Must Take Some Time To Regain The Trust Of My Family'
The upshot. The governor came out with his wife, Silda, and made a brief statement. He did not resign. Nor did he explain what he did, other than to say that he disappointed his family and the public and he needs to take some time to regain the trust of his family.

He took no questions.

[patricia]

Spitzer just came out and apologized for his involvement in a prostitution ring, to the public and to his family.
Apparently this is not just about prostitution, but money-laundering and possible links to organized crime in N.Y.
Alan Dershowitz, his professor at Harvard, seems to think that it's about him using prostitutes, letting his little head instead of the one on his shoulders think for him.
Spitzer is disappointed in himself and will not be taking questions..........
He's not talking about resigning...

[Brian Olewnick]

Nothing about, oh, breaking the law? Like any sane person, I think prostitution should be legalized but when you have an uptight legalistic prick like Spitzer dipping the wick after having run on a purer than snow platform....Not quite up to Republican bathroom stall levels, but still fun.

[RBS]

David Patterson, who is an extremely nice man (I've met him) will be taking over if Spitzer resigns.

Oh! The shame! The horror! Where's Larry Craig?

[rollhead]

March 10, 2008, 3:18 pm
‘I Apologize to the Public’
By Sewell Chan

Excerpts from Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s statement to the public, delivered at his Midtown Manhattan office shortly after on Monday afternoon:


"I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family and that 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 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. I am disappointed that I failed to live up to the standard that I expect 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."

[Paul B]

Incredible. When I saw Rollhead's first post on this thread, I assumed it was a joke, from a source like the Onion.

What is it about smart, powerful men (like Clinton) that makes them do the dumbest imaginable things? Unbelievable.

[rollhead]

March 10, 2008
Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring
By DANNY HAKIM and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a person briefed on the federal investigation.

The wiretap recording, made during an investigation of a prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP, captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

The governor learned that he had been implicated in the prostitution probe when a federal official contacted his staff last Friday, according to the person briefed on the case.

The governor informed his top aides Sunday night and this morning of his involvement. He canceled his public events today and scheduled an announcement for this afternoon after inquiries from the Times.

The governor’s aides appeared shaken, and one of them began to weep as they waited for him to make his statement at his Manhattan office. Mr. Spitzer was seen leaving his Fifth Avenue apartment just before 3 p.m. with his wife of 21 years, Silda, heading to the news conference.

The man described as Client 9 in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, Emperors Club VIP, on the night of Feb. 13. Mr. Spitzer traveled to Washington that evening, according to a person told of his travel arrangements.

The affidavit says that Client 9 met with the woman in hotel room 871 but does not identify the hotel. Mr. Spitzer stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on Feb. 13, according to a source who was told of his travel arrangements. Room 871 at the Mayflower Hotel that evening was registered under the another name.

Federal prosecutors rarely charge clients in prostitution cases, which are generally seen as state crimes. But the Mann Act, passed by Congress in 1910 to address prostitution, human trafficking and what was viewed at the time as immorality in general, makes it a crime to transport someone between states for the purpose of prostitution. The four defendants charged in the case unsealed last week were all charged with that crime, along with several others.

[patricia]

I wonder how much hay will be made by the Republicans in this Presidential Election year, if this comes to anything bigger than it already is, of Spitzer being a Democrat?
Will they jump right on it, or wait until or wait to see if he gets indicted first?

There seems to be more discussion about how much the ladies charge for their company than just exactly what it is that Spitzer is being accused of doing.

It seems to me that if he is simply a client, hundreds of other guys have been involved with prostitutes who are not being charged with anything.
Is he being singled out because of his prissy stands on vice with regard to the ring, or because he is suspected in the money-laundering aspect?
Or is the apparent violation of the Mann Act the offence?

[steve(thelil)]

Did he spitz her?

[steve(thelil)]

Like Rollhead (and for awhile with Rollhead) I've worked for a few very high ranking elected officials (and ridden the elevator with Spitzer. He seemed like a nice guy. Incidentally we weren't going down).

It seems to me that politicians who are originally basically "clean" and not "corrupt" are just as prone to this kind of thing as through and through pigs. I don't know enough about Spitzer to know what group he falls into. But in my experience, the anti-corruption types get so full of themselves and used to hearing how wonderful they are that they start thinking that the rules don't apply to them.

[rollhead]

Not sure about that, but I think Spitzer is going to be forced to resign.

NY Gov. David Patterson

[steve(thelil)]

By the way, I didn't mean to suggest that Rollhead's most well known employers have gotten dirty. But a couple of mine have.

The two elected officials that I know of Rollie working for completed long, successful careers in public service with their very good reputations for integrity intact.

[rollhead]

Steve, not so sure that is entirely true.

H. Carl McCall got in hot water during his campaign for governor and over Dick Grasso's pay package.


In his 2002 campaign for governor, Mr. McCall endured days of withering headlines over disclosures that he had written, on official letterhead, letters of recommendation for his wife, daughter and cousin to companies that did business with the state pension fund, which the comptroller’s office oversees.

Four years earlier, he came under fire over evidence that his office repeatedly awarded contracts and other pension fund work to companies that had made donations to his campaign. In several cases, the donations — which were legal — came just before or just after the companies were awarded work by the pension fund.

In an interview on Friday, Mr. McCall described the fund-raising requirements of campaigning as unfortunate but necessary, and denied that there had been any connection between his or his staff’s decisions and the campaign donations.

----------------------------------
Lawsuit Filed by Grasso Is Dismissed
By JENNY ANDERSON
A New York State judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the former chairman and chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard A. Grasso, against H. Carl McCall, a former Big Board director who once ran New York State’s finances.

The lawsuit was part of the larger legal battle between the New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, and Mr. Grasso. Mr. Spitzer has accused the former exchange chief of receiving excessive and unreasonable compensation during his time running what was then a nonprofit exchange.

In his lawsuit, Mr. Grasso asserted that Mr. McCall, who was chairman of the compensation committee that approved a $190 million pay and retirement package, should be held responsible for some part of the compensation if the court deemed it unreasonable.

But Justice Charles E. Ramos of State Supreme Court in Manhattan dismissed Mr. Grasso’s suit, stating that he had failed “to establish any special duty owed him by Mr. McCall, or any specific misrepresentations made by McCall.”

[rollhead]

His statement is already up on YouTube:

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/

[Gentle Giant]

Actually, Spitzer is a pretty good name for a john.

He should get out in front of this by starting a crusade to legalize prostitution.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

And all these guys have their stand-by-your-man wives that go to the beauty parlor and then appear next to them on TV. Mine would break my legs and then go to Maui.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Gotta say, though, Mrs. Spitzer don't look thrilled:

[Hudson Boy]

Dick Grasso and Kenneth Langone must be laughing their asses off.

[Gary Sisco]

What Brian said.

These guys dig hookers so much, they have the power, hey. Legalize it.

I too have to ask, though: How stupid are they? There aren't any secrets, anymore. Everything is only a send or forward button away.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

And all these guys have their stand-by-your-man wives that go to the beauty parlor and then appear next to them on TV. Mine would break my legs and then go to Maui.

Exactly. It's not, IMO, whether Spitzer used prostitutes, from a wife's point of view. I think it's more the humiliation to her that is the bigger offence.
Like Steve, I think that it is really strange how the wives of these public people who get caught stand there uncritically, although we sure don't know what they said to each other privately.
For my own part, the humiliation would certainly be an invitation to at least an ass-kicking and possibly the mentioned two broken legs.

I do agree with Gary that prostitution should be legalized. To be sure, the ladies involved in the industry pay taxes, usually not calling themselves prostitutes, but something more benign. The tax guys don't care how you earned your money. They just want their cut.

[Gary Sisco]

I know one thing for sure: No woman I've ever been with would be standing there like that. No way in the world.

Prostitution is legal by county in Nevada. It's been that way for a long time. The world hasn't come to an end.

[rollhead]

Apparently, during the course of the investigation, Spitzer was referred to as "Client 9." This is from New York Magazine:

From a redacted copy of the sealed complaint about the Emperor's Club prostitution ring, we were able to extract the following details about Client 9's dealings with the organization, and his Washington liaison. Client 9, according to the Times, is the one alleged to be Governor Eliot Spitzer. We have no official confirmation of this. But below are the things that we do know about this mysterious player from the legal papers:
• He refused to use a "traditional wire transfer" to pay the organization but arranged for an Emperor's Club girl to take Amtrak down to Washington for a visit.
• Client 9 seems to have used the service before.
• He also thought the choice of his prostitute, "Kristen," was "great" and "wonderful."
• The agency charged him $4,100 for "Kristen"'s visit.
• The tryst took place in room 871 of a Washington hotel. On a side note, the domain www.room871.com has already been purchased.
• Client 9 was willing to pay "extra" for "better" services. "Kristen" was a pretty brunette, petite, five-foot-five and 105 pounds.
• The fee ended up being $4,300, with the "extras."
• "Kirsten" did not think Client 9 was difficult, but he might have asked her to do things ("basic things") that "you might not think were safe."

[Al in NYC]

Has any politician, ever, burned through so much public goodwill so quickly as Eliot Spitzer?

Just saw the thoroughly gruesome Joe Bruno on TV explaining how badly he feels about all this... while smiling a big broad crocodile grin.

[rollhead]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...2spitzer1.html

[LennyH]

This really pisses me off.

Who the hell can afford a $4,300 hooker?

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by rollhead

Steve, not so sure that is entirely true.

H. Carl McCall got in hot water during his campaign for governor and over Dick Grasso's pay package.[/I]

I know. But I thought you were distancing yourself from my unintentional implication that one or more of your bosses had been involved in corrupt activities, so I wanted to make it clear that I meant no such thing.

Also, I'm not sure the McCall/Grasso thing was "dirty" (even though it smelled bad).

And the thing about him writing job recommendations on official stationary as favors for the connected that came to light while he was running for Governor is, unfortunately, something that I bet every elected official does.

On the other hand, he had you writing some of his speeches, so how good could his judgment have been?

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by Al in NYC

Has any politician, ever, burned through so much public goodwill so quickly as Eliot Spitzer?

Just saw the thoroughly gruesome Joe Bruno on TV explaining how badly he feels about all this... while smiling a big broad crocodile grin.

Nicely put. Hitler burned through much more, but it took much longer.

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

I know one thing for sure: No woman I've ever been with would be standing there like that. No way in the world.

You're expecting an argument?