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, a first term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform an end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.
Federal authorities arrested four people last week on charges of running an online prostitution ring that serviced clients in New York, Paris and other cities and took in more than $1 million in profits over four years.
The ring, known as the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., had 50 prostitutes available for appointments in New York, Washington, Miami, London and Paris, according to a complaint unsealed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The appointments, made by telephone or through an online booking service, cost $1,000 to $5,500 an hour and could be paid for with cash, credit card, wire transfers or money orders, the complaint said.
Turns out Spitzer wasn’t their lawyer. Just a client.
Note: The NY TIMES just broke this story. Their servers are overwhelmed. Links may take forever.
Unless public money was involved, I really don’t care that much.
But Spitzer’s reputation as a defender of public will certainly take a major hit.
#10 I’ll tell you what the problem is. He’s a law enforcement officer involved in illegal activity. He’s supposed to be prosecuting these people, not boning them. If he feels that strongly about prostitution, then he should run for Govenor of Nevada, or push to have the NY laws changed.
All I want t know is what can you possibly get for $4,500 per hour? This amount can’t be right.
There must be some sort of pleasure in the act of GIVING lots of money away. I guess I just don’t understand straight sex 🙂
It isn’t the party affiliation that matters. It is the hypocrisy. Because as the Attorney General of New York Spritzer went after prostitution, then yes. this counts as hypocrisy. Which is really too bad as I thought he was a good reformer.
This is not good news for the Democrats. It isn’t good news for his family either. Now we know who pays up to $5,000 an hour for a hooker. I wonder who were the other customers though. Any Republicans? The family first type?
#11 I agree its unfair, but totally understandable.
If you want to understand the difference between liberals and conservatives in this country today, here it is:
Liberals are pro sex and anti violence.
Conservatives are pro violence and anti sex.
What are conservatives in favor of? Warfare, guns, environmental destruction, capital punishment, strong defense, tougher security, mandatory sentences, the “culture war”, “drug war”, “War on Terrorism”, the “rapture”, the “apocalypse”, fighting terrorists with terror, torture is fine. In other words, violence, violence, violence, violence, and more violence.
What are liberals in favor of? Abortion rights, contraception rights, sex education, evolution, a healthy ecosystem, health care, artistic freedom of expression, gay marriage, gay rights, womens rights. In other words, sex, sex, sex, sex, and more sex.
So when Democrats find themselves in a sex scandal, its no where near as hypocritical as a Republican sex scandal.
I’m sure a Democrat accidentally shooting a friend on a hunting trip would make much bigger headlines.
“Hey now baby, get into my big black car
Hey now baby, get into my big black car
I wanna show you what my politics are”
– From “Politician” by The Cream
“Some of the smartest people on Earth do stupid things now and then.” – Me
#35 – forgot a couple.
Repub – Promotes free enterprise
Dem – Penalize the most productive
Ariane, if conservatives are for violence, why are they for everyone being able to legally carry guns? Because we think /we/ are going to get shot in the back? Or because we think that violence is less likely when every one is armed?
Side note: the news media sure is getting sloppy. This guy pays a hooker and he is suddenly “involved” with a prostitution ring?
Another example: that college coed in Auburn that got shot is supposed to be a “gang hit”? I thought a “gang hit” was planned? This sounds a lot more like some bandit just decided to kill someone and loot the dead body.
Bah, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.
This will turn out to be the best trick this chick ever did in her life. $$$$$$$$$$$$ all the way to the bank !!!
Let’s see-Spitzer paid a prostitute, while McCain cornered Cindy at a Naval function and chased her all over the country while he left his wife, who was recovering from a car wreck that almost killed her, and almost had to have her legs amputated to take care of herself and their three children. Then, just one month after his divorce, he and Cindy married? Does this classify them as a whore and a whoremonger. If it doesn’t fit the criteria for them, then I don’t guess Spitzer’s actions makes him a whoremonger.
Just a few weeks ago, McCain was accused of an immoral sexual relationship with a lobbyist and also giving her lobbying company a little inside help by writing letters and making phone calls on her behalf, and what happened? McCain said it was all a lie by the liberal NYT’s. What else happened? The story was pretty much squelched, and we heared nothing else about it.
Let’s face it, overall, we are an immoral nation and from our divorce rate, the percentage of people living together, etc. We as a nation are partaking in the same “sins” as the politicians are, so therefore, as a whole, this country is jaded to these adulterous, self-indulging, lying hypocrites.
Toooo many people in this country look at many politicians and see their own behavior mirrored in these politicians’ behavior. So, as the old saying goes, when you point your finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you.
It would be nice for the majority of the people to at least try to elect men and women who have some sort of morality, are faithful to their spouses, and display some class.
Has anyone read the article about McCain being an admiral’s son and grandson which apparently kept him from being tried and convicted of treason for being a propaganda agent for the Vietcong.
Also, why isn’t McCain labeled as a whoremonger and Cindy a whore? Or, does adultery and knowingly breaking up a home, not involve a whore and a whoremonger?
Do I smell a double-standard here?
This story is a shocker. Few things are more contrary to the common public perception of Gov. Spitzer than participating in the commission of an illegal act. I don’t see how he can come back from this.
#35 ArianeB, although I tend to be a fairly liberal, I am very much in favor of an item on your “conservative” list, i.e. the Rapture. I’m even thinking of forming a Rapture Assistance League to help make sure it occurs with utter precision and efficiency. I can’t help but think what a shame it would be if one of those lovely people were left behind 😉
The conservatives believe the New York Times now!
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Blotter/popup?id=2841254&contentIndex=1&page=13
ABC helpfully points out the party affiliation of almost all the Republicans in their prostitution list, but only Gerry Studds is identified as a Democrat.
I have no heros, but Elliot comes as close as a politician can.
I wish he would “own up to it” by saying the law is wrong.
To emphasize the idiotic state of affairs, while I know the history, the CRIME here is the prostitution which turns out to be a misdemeanor, but the HAMMER and the penalty is the Mann Act–transporting the prostitute across state lines===nothing about that is morally wrong except that it is illegal.
Things are fubar in this country. So, another sex scandal of men behaving naturally with adult women. Horrors!!!
Our hypocrisy and religion based self hatred will “help” to bring this country down. Silly.
#38, Philleep,
… if conservatives are for violence, why are they for everyone being able to legally carry guns?
I think you answered your question before you asked it.
Well it was at least just good old man to woman sex, not GOP perverted sex with little boys or anonymous men in airport restrooms.
Democratic sex scandals are just plain boring compared to republican ones.
Damn. Those politicians have all the fun. And the more self righteous, the more fun, it seems.
But why do their wives stand by them looking so supportive when they get caught. Once, just once, I’d like to see a wife looking daggers at him, and maybe even scream at him and try to strangle him as he does his press conference.
Now that would be fun!
nothing about this that is morally wrong except that it is illegal.I feel the same way about a lot of laws. Unfortunatly we whould have anarchy if we all could pick the laws we like.
This also alsolutly proves there is a karma god
“Evvabody like a little pussy once in awhile.”
– the Reverend Jesse Jackson
Nothing wrong with that (in a biological sense of course) and I suppose it’s nice that he comes out and admits it. It’s true, after all.
It’s a tragic thing, I think, when public personalities (politicians, preachers and what have you) stand up and try to espouse moral principles…and then turn out to be busily betraying those principles themselves! Just look at our last US president.
And then after the uproar has died down a bit, they use their tremendous skills at obfuscation to get everyone to forgive them. (again, take a look at our last president).
Now watch…let’s see if this guy will try to do that too, instead of resigning.
History can be a really harsh judge of blatant hypocrisy, though.