http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337108,00.html

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer Resigns Effective Monday Amid Links to Prostitution Ring

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace Wednesday after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."

Spitzer made the announcement without having finalized a plea deal with federal prosecutors, though a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said he is believed to still be negotiating one. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

"Over the course of my public life, I've insisted, I believe correctly, that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself," Spitzer said at a Manhattan news conference with his wife, Silda, at his side. He left without answering questions.

"For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor."

Spitzer will be replaced on Monday by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who becomes New York's first black governor. He also will be the state's first legally blind governor and its first disabled governor since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Paterson issued a statement in which he said he was saddened, but would move forward. "It is now time for Albany to get back to work as the people of this state expect from us," he said.

New York lawmakers quickly began coalescing around Paterson, including Democrats, who declined to rush to Spitzer's defense as events unfolded this week.

"My sympathies go out to Governor Spitzer and his family. He certainly did the right thing by stepping aside and I wish him and his family well," U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said according to a statement from his office.

He said he spoke with Paterson Wednesday morning, and "I pledged my full support and cooperation. David Paterson will be a first-rate governor and he has my full confidence. He is smart, brings people of differing views and backgrounds together, and has always grown in every job he has served. I will enthusiastically do everything I can to help and make his tenure as governor a success."

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said: "This is a sad time for our state and the Spitzer family. As a longtime opponent of sex trafficking, I was shocked and heartbroken to hear that the Governor was linked to a prostitution ring. It's a sad irony that Governor Spitzer fought for and signed the toughest anti-trafficking legislation in our states history.

She added: "The governor's office could not be in better hands than those of David Paterson.

The scandal erupted two days ago when allegations surfaced that the 48-year-old Spitzer spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.

Spitzer was more composed Wednesday than he was at his appearance two days ago, when he looked pale, drawn and glassy-eyed. The couple stood quietly Wednesday, inches apart; they never touched as they entered or left the room.

His wife took deep breaths as hundreds of photos were taken at close range. Each of Spitzer's words was accompanied by a rush of camera clicks.

Spitzer and his wife left their apartment around 11 a.m. and got into a black SUV to take them to his office. Cameras aboard news helicopters tracked the movement of Spitzer's three-vehicle motorcade from his apartment on the Upper East Side to his office in midtown Manhattan.

Spitzer appeared for the first time since he made a brief statement this past Monday after the first reports surfaced. He apologized for his behavior -- without spelling out what he did -- and asked for forgiveness, and asked for quick support for Paterson.

"In the past few days, I have begun to atone for my private failings with my wife Silda, my children and my entire family," Spitzer said."The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me.

"From those to whom much has been given, much is expected. I have been given much -- the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York, and the chance to lead this state.

"I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me."

The announcement followed two days of furious activity. Calls for his resignation came immediately. Republicans began talking impeachment if he didn't step aside. Meanwhile, Spitzer stayed holed up in his Manhattan apartment, where he was reportedly weighing his options, including waiting to use resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid indictment.

U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia just said in statement that "There is no agreement between this Office and Governor Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter."

Attending the news conference with Spitzer were his close advisers and lawyers, including Ted Wells, a prominent attorney who recently represented I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Paterson, the soon-to-be governor, was not at the announcement, but he issued a statement in which he said he was "saddened by what we have learned over the past several days."

"It is now time for Albany to get back to work as the people of this state expect from us," said Paterson.

The Spitzer scandal erupted Monday when allegations surfaced that Spitzer, a 48-year-old married man with three teenage daughters, spent thousands of dollars on a call girl named Kristen at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.

"I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong," the governor said at a news conference with his wife, Silda, at his side. "I apologize to the public, whom I promised better."

Calls for his resignation came immediately. Republicans began talking impeachment if he didn't step aside. Meanwhile, Spitzer stayed holed up in his Manhattan apartment, where he was reportedly weighing his options, including waiting to use resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid indictment.

The case involving Spitzer started when banks noticed frequent cash transfers from several accounts and filed suspicious activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The accounts were traced back to Spitzer, leading public corruption investigators to open an inquiry.

A law enforcement official said Tuesday that Spitzer had spent tens of thousands of dollars with the call-girl service Emperors Club VIP. Another official said the amount could be as high as $80,000.

Still another law enforcement official said investigators found that during the tryst with Kristen, Spitzer used two rooms at Washington's Mayflower Hotel — one for himself, the other for the prostitute. Sometime around 10 p.m., Spitzer sneaked away from his security detail and made his way to her room, the official said.

According to an affidavit, a federal judge approved wiretaps on the escort service's telephone in January and February. FBI agents in Washington had the Mayflower under surveillance when Spitzer was in town, a senior law enforcement official said.

The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

Spitzer, a first-term Democrat, built his political reputation on rooting out government corruption, and made a name for himself as attorney general as crusader against shady practices and overly generous compensation. He also cracked down on prostitution.

He was known as the "Sheriff of Wall Street." Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year," and the tabloids proclaimed him "Eliot Ness." The square-jawed graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law was sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for president.

He rode into the governor's office with a historic margin of victory on Jan. 1, 2007, vowing to stamp out corruption in New York government in the same way that he took on Wall Street executives with a vengeance while state attorney general.

His term as governor has been fraught with problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear his main Republican nemesis. The prostitution scandal, some said, was too much to overcome.

Barely known outside of his Harlem political base, Paterson, 53, has been in New York government since his election to the state Senate in 1985. He led the Democratic caucus in the Senate before running with Spitzer as his No. 2.

Though legally blind, Paterson has enough sight in his right eye to walk unaided, recognize people at conversational distance and even read if text is placed close to his face. While Spitzer is renowned for his abrasive style, Paterson has built a reputation as a conciliator.

At a morning news conference, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Spitzer's chief rival, said he had not yet heard from the governor but that he was moving on with the business of the state. Lawmakers were set to vote on budget bills Wednesday afternoon.

"We are going to partner with the lieutenant governor when he becomes governor," said Bruno. "David has always been very open with me, very forthright ... I look forward to a positive, productive relationship."

Bruno, though the next highest-ranking official, does not become lieutenant governor upon Paterson's ascension to governor. The lieutenant governor's office would remain vacant until the next general election in 2010 under state law. However, whenever Paterson is out of state or if he were to become incapacitated, Bruno would be acting governor.

was just going to post this - wow.

whats the money on? was he a client? if so he is finished.

*claims first 'prostitution should be legal' comment*

Will The Fucking Steamroller be unable to roll over this one? It sure would be a shame for Spitzer's sake, because I think/thought that he'd be a rising star in politics--like US Attorney General or even President.

High-End Prostitution Ring Broken, Police Say; 4 Arrested
BY JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
March 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/72454



Federal prosecutors say they have broken up a high-end international prostitution ring that ran a thriving business in New York. Prosecutors yesterday charged one man and three women with running the prostitution service, which advertised itself on the Internet as Emperors Club VIP.

According to its Web site, which was taken down at midday yesterday, the Emperors Club offered to introduce clients to models, as well as provide investment services and deals on contemporary art work. The Web site billed Emperors Club as the "elite recreation venue and private club for those accustomed to excellence."

RELATED: The Emperors Club Web Site

Court documents unsealed yesterday said Emperors Club involved 50 prostitutes who billed between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour. Several phone numbers associated with Emperors Club have been under surveillance by the FBI, which intercepted more than 5,000 telephone calls and text messages during the investigation, according to court documents.
Excerpts of those intercepted calls, provided in court documents, offer a window onto some of the managerial challenges that confronted the four defendants who allegedly managed the operation. In them, the managers discuss how some of the Emperor Club prostitutes had difficulty taking imprints of their clients' American Express cards, making it difficult to charge them. Prostitutes weren't always punctual in arriving at their engagements. There were scheduling conflicts to resolve caused by the photo shoots of the women who modeled during the day. And clients called in wanting to know what they should tell their accountants about the expenses they were racking up with the Emperors Club.

A criminal complaint charges Mark Brener, 62, with running the prostitution ring. He was arrested yesterday morning along with a 23-year-old former college student, Cecil Suwal. Prosecutors say Ms. Suwal managed the day-today running of Emperors Club. They lived together in an apartment in New Jersey. Agents found $600,000 in cash at the apartment, an assistant U.S. attorney, Daniel Stein, said in U.S. District Court in Manhattan yesterday.

A son of Mr. Brener's, who was in court yesterday, said he was "shocked" at the allegations against his father.

"It reads like a movie script," the man, who would not give his name, said of the complaint in which prosecutors laid out their allegations.

The Emperors Club had prostitutes in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, and would send them to meet men as far away as Vienna, the complaint alleges.

Authorities also arrested two other women, Temeka Lewis and Tanya Hollander, whom prosecutors described as booking agents who set up meetings between clients and prostitutes.

The defendants are charged with conspiring to violate federal anti-prostitution laws. And Mr. Brener and Ms. Suwal were also charged with money laundering.

The defendants did not enter any pleas in U.S. District Court yesterday. Prosecutors did not mention any client list.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/apusnews/ ... 19583.html

I'm going to keep an eye on this article and see if anyone tries to make an irrational comparison to Larry Craig. If anyone thinks this forum is out of control, you should read some of the comments made on the Statesman's articles. Pure hilarity, here's an example.

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/idaho_story_319524

wnbc reports he will resign

MSNBC is making it sound like Sptizer killed someone.

hahhaa i know its pretty funny (if funny is sad)

they claim he tried to get a hooker on feb 13 in DC and was known as client 9.

i just read he was just a client, that's it?

we're such a weird society. the guy has cut down on corporate corruption, which at last check, is still out of control. Yet we'll hang this guy for being with a prostitute. who are we as voters that need to have people who do their jobs well live like angels?

Obviously, i'm annoyed because like someone else said, i thought Spitzer was looking like a candidate to believe in. None of these guys on either side of the aisle can be trusted. Who's tapping their phones? They're the criminals.

He's a fucking steamroller.

Well, to be fair, any public official that breaks the law should be condemned, even if we disagree with the law. I think we will agree, however, that there will be way too much of an over-reaction because it deals with a sex-related incident.

Looks like he got some tips from Rick Santorum's family.

well he did shut down prostitution rings and blasted them...thats a little hypocritical no?

only the dirty ones....

Does anyone care he did it with a pro? No.

Do we care he's up on a podium appologising for being caught doing it with a pro while doing so much to "clean up" prostitution rings? I'd say yeah. This is like saying..... I'm above the laws I create/enforce for YOU PEOPLE


Don't appologise for being caught.... appologise for being full of shit.

exactly. thats the problem.

So much for the NYT being a liberal smear merchant.