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….
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.
This one developing in a big way, and we’ll get you more details as we hear them. It’s a Monday…
(H/T to Atrios.)
UPDATE: NYTimes just updated their piece:
>But a person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.
The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February. One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP on the night of Feb. 13.
More as I find it…but that certainly sounds like it’s coming from an FBI agent or someone in the USAtty’s office, one of the other defense counsels or someone from the courthouse familiar with the filings.
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Resignation?
LMAO at the Lady Marmelade reference
Pimp, john or both?
talk about surprise headline
So much for that rising star.
This eu’d from last thread
This from the NYSun article linked at 55
Geez, wadaya gotta do for $5500 per hour? My imagination is not wild enough.
Does this mean Fox News will put an ‘R’ next to his name?
707
I’m thinking you supposedly got discretion and a clean HIV test record, for starters. So much for that discretion part…
link
$5,000 per hour???? I hope he didn’t put it on the state credit card.
Of course! They’re fair and balanced.
#3 beat me to it. The way it is written he seems like an owner.
I’m pretty curious about that too.
Bloomberg….
http://digg.com/politics/BREAK….._Up_In_NYh
WOW he been getting some :>)
Oh, this should serve to keep all the FISA, Iraq, Attygate & contempt proceedings off the front page. Excellent timing, one more cynical than I might think he was falling on his sword for the Bushies.
Boxturtle (Fortunately for the Bushies, there are few more cynical than I)
$5500? Must have a cape with an ‘S’ on it (whatever that ‘it’ is)
Perhaps some of the $5500 is an under the table political contribution.
At least P. David Soares, the Albany County District Attorney, is a Democrat.
Kinda cool last name for a legal eagle.
This ring originates out of Staten Island apparently…Staten Island? Servicing the Greater NY area…/s
Given that he’s a Democrat, I’d seriously doubt he’s doing the Bushies any favors…
Like the 5 troops killed in Baghdad today and the KBR water supplies making the troops sick and the Phase II report being released…and, and…
BTW, CNBC has really juicy speculation on this.
Whatever the case, I dodged a bullet on this one. I’ve been skeptical of Spitzer. Initial reason is because his NYS prosecutions that made him so popular were done on the basis of bullying. Then he took office, and tried to bully his way even more so, which is when I took a real dislike to him. Sad that it looks like he may have feet of clay, but good to know my nose for bad guys is accurate.
As a NYS resident formerly on Board of SUNY-New Paltz Foundation, and now on Board of Historic Huguenot Street, I am doubly sad. Spitzer supports both increasing funding for state universities and historic preservation. Sigh.
Thinking with the wrong head will get you trouble everytime
Guess this means no AG role for him…
T-
first reports on msnbc led me to initially believe that Spitzer somehow was running the ring…
I’m guessing that’s not quite right…
:
my initial thought as well – my gawd, you have made some extremely powerful enemies and you can’t keep it in your pants ?!?!?
btw, I really liked the guy
The way the story’s being reported, it sound more like he’s involved in running the prostitution ring, and less like he’s a customer.
ABOUT TIME! A sex scandal involving a democrat!! It’s been years…
I guess he’s pro-bush…
You’d think not, but everytime somebody says the Dems wouldn’t do the Bushies a favor, I think of Nancy pulling impeachment off the table after a ride in Air Force 1. That’s a pretty big favor. And then I think of the Dems working behind the scenes for telecom immunity.
Boxturtle (And then I think I’m not cynical enough)
My heart goes out for his family, this is not going to be easy. talk about media frenzy.
Fox is working on how to tag the Senator from NY with some of this.
No mention of diapers or cross dressing, yet.
I’m guessing that everybody at the top knew about this prostitution/political contribution business and that Spitzer has made so many serious enemies busting up Wall Street scams, and they are pinning this on him in revenge.
You had to go to the Dems to find a sex scandal involving consenting heterosexual adults…
It’s a bit of bizarre reporting, isn’t it? I know details are going to dribble out throughout the day, but it’s phrased very oddly…
or animals
He’s pro-bully, which is the closet relationship between W & Sptizer that I know about.
Yeah, the story appears to be breaking so fast that they were just searching for a polite way to say he was a “john.”
We don’t know that yet…
or 2 wetsuits…
Bully….$5,000…ummm…S&M???
Spitzer longed to be prez, and had the hubris to go with it, according to MSNBC. Bwahahaha.
From the NYT article:
Just another hypocritical politician (although it sounds to me like something a Rethug would say).
Is this connected to his idea to give illegal aliens driver licenses?
*spew* I had forgotten about that…. oh, dear
Wonder what his next job is going to be?
I have re-read the article threee times and it is worded so strange (as laready mentioned) that it is difficult to make out what his role actually is/was
They have to figure out HOW to report this in such a way that the innuendo and double entendres don’t cause everyone in the newsroom to start snickering. And that’s probably not going to be easy with this one.
They are The Very Serious Media, after all.
LOL! I had forgotten about the multi-wetsuits. :)
This is one of a few issues I think I’ll stay away from.
he could switch parties and run for any repug oddice
Let’s see how fast Hillary can try to distance herself from this guy now.
oddice = office oy
Ooopsie. That’s really unfortunate. Sounds about like our Kansas AG who beat out the insufferable Phill Kline for AG in 2006, and then managed to snare himself in a sex scandal with a woman in his office when he was prosecuting attorney for Johnson Co., KS. He was forced to resign less than a year into the AG slot. I was very disappointed in him. He was a terrific prosecutor, but wow. You have to wonder about the judgement of people in public office who have these kinds of skeletons in their closets and think it won’t come out.
Oh I just thought you had a cold.
I wonder how close his relationship with HRC was. I know she made what was considered her first debate error defending his ideas about drivers licenses of illegal immegrants.
I thought oddice made sense!!! lol
Emperor’s club is worldwide…technology
If true, two silver linings:
1. Better to find out sooner rather than later for Ds. Wouldn’t want this to happen if he had a national office.
2. Now I won’t have to read his biography.
this should make it painfully clear to y’all that you don’t get to the top without a visit to hell. the more dirt, the more better. it just makes you easier to control and blackmail. can you begin to imagine what the hell else is going on behind the scenes. i’m laughing so hard i’m crying just like when chavez talked about el diablo. god help us and i’m not even a believer.
hehehe no, just a typing issues
Gawd, I hope “someone else” wasn’t a client…
Can someone formulate reasons why sex between consenting adults for gratuity should be illegal?
The world’s oldest profession strikes again.
Ya gotta love the name: Emperors’ Club. No hubris there, nope, none, not at all.
Yeah, maybe she can just try to say she hardly knew him like ol obamalamadingdong did about Tony “I HARDILY KNEW HIM” Rezko at the debates huh?
Caligula.
Updated above…
That’s a separate issue from state’s top lawyer who prosecuted prostitution, who it now turns out may be a john.
you know he was
Without knowing any of the details, or even if the incomplete reports are accurate, I’m starting to get some of the same feeling as when I first heard about Monica Lewinski. How could a person that smart do something so utterly stupid?
The conclusion I’m left with is that it must be pretty widespread, as it were.
DC connection…
I can’t think of one at all, kiddo
I think it becomes a problem when it is a hypocrisy issue
Sure. It isn’t taxed and it would be extremely difficult to trace the money to get the taxes. Anything the government can’t get a cut of is by defination illegal.
Boxturtle (Notice how I avoided the moral argument and distilled it down to money?)
Apparently Spitzer has an ego as big as all outdoors. That’s one way that people end up doing such stoopid stuff.
I’d bet the $5000 is as much about who as it is what. The prostitutes are probably very smart, educated and independent, not to mention gorgeous. They’re most likely the type of woman that seem completely unattainable under normal circumstances. And they probably have “specialties”.
Emperor’s Club isn’t the same as the DC Madam is it? Her operation is shut down, right? This sounds recent, based on Christy’s update…
Fed prosecutors have his text messages
This will certainly steal the news cycle from the Dem campaign.
We should have responses ready for the onslaught from the Noize Machine, which will say this (if true!) shows the character of Democrats, and totally ignoring the 100 times more of these there are for Repubs. Be ready for it.
Ha, the main charge is NOT prostitution, it’s money laundering.
Maybe he arranged a liaison for someone else important. That is sort of the impression I just got from the cryptic reporting.
Called it.
Came across the ring while investigation Gambino crime family (MSNBC). Spitzer has investigated the mob. Hmmmm.
Not me. There are better things to police. I suppose that in the case of public servants the question of how much money is spent could be relevant.
Being a client is a lot different from being involved in the illegal enterprise.
Different outfits, but the same industry.
Bill Clinton anywone?
I got the pimp vibe as well
Frankly, I’m much more worried about John McCain than Mr. Spitzer’s alleged somewhat less than, or different from, ‘middle of the road’ proclivities. Let’s put Spitzer and Larry Craig in the same cell, and see what happens.
ahhhhh
Wow…the Emperor’s Club….hmmmm…who is the Emperor?? Oh, my…I’m going to get some popcorn.
I was just going to ask you to explain more about the money laundering (no TV) but now I’m thinking hmmmm right along with you.
It steals the news cycle from anything important
MSNBC – text messages – request to set up “a meeting”
Popcorn. This is truly a popcorn event.
Was Spitzer seen hanging around Bill C. in Westchester area recently?? :)
I can hear the Repukes already…” see!!..the Democrats have no morals..they are more corrupt than us!!” ….countdown commences now 10,9,8..
OMG! Has LHP weighed in on this yet?
Someone above said “What would you have to do for $5K?”
We all know, no woman is worth $5K/hr for sex, which makes Elliot Spitzer not only a moral midget but stupid!
I’m looking at the site because I’m curious as to what $5500 ‘achy breaky’ looks like
5K plus per hour! Just how much is the State of NY paying their Governor?
As I commented over at Emptywheels:
Here is an article about the bust itself 3/7:
http://www.time.com/time/natio…..81,00.html
Spitzer is independently wealthy. Family in real estate business, I think. Will check it out in his biography, which I now have no intention to read.
Yup, they just want the money.
Boxturtle (My faith in Government is restored :-) )
There are areas in Nevada where prostitution is legal. Obviously this is a state issue.
His poor kids and wife
”a prostitution ring that charged wealthy clients in Europe and the U.S. thousands of dollars for prostitutes rated by diamonds.”
Always.
The girls are ‘cute’ some are very pretty, but $5000 ummmmm no
Well, not if it’s money laundering.
Which would have trouble passing my smell test.
the seduction of Joe Tynan…
Power is a drug.
Politics is Dante’s unmentioned level of you-know-where, waiting for all of us just this side of purgatory.
As for a Biblical perspective on the seedy world Spitzer’s been caught up in, I think it is best described in Luke, Chapter 4, V5-6.
And never forget, we ARE talking NYC here, Albany is just a distant suburb, The Big Apple is pretty wormy.
You guys are a hoot. This whole thing is nuts. What is wrong with these people.
Yes, I hope there’s not another one of those scenes with the poor woman having to stand there demonstrating continued loyalty.
I should think “cute” would be barely qualifying at those prices. These are probably women with opportunity costs, and hurdle rates to clear. Their own risk premia.
I believe we should get Bob Livingston’s and Newtie’s take on all this.
don’t tell anyone but… most of the super wealthy obtained their wealth on the black market.
5k an hour?!?!?!???!? She better do the dishes and clean the catbox before she leaves for that kind of money (that and a month long perpetual grin on my face)!!
Okay as more news comes in, as stated up thread, it’s money laundering (but the sex thing always grabs the attention first)
Gawd, it really sounds so far like he was pimping for the money…geez.
expected to resign – Pox
Yes, $5500/hour, but what’s the price in Euros? This could be yet more evidence of Bush’s destruction of the value of a dollar.
Okay, I need some perspective. Is he a friend or a foe of the Clinton campaign? Will this affect her campaign in any way? Sorry if this has been asked or answered anywhere else. Comments are coming in too fast for me to keep up with them!
Back in my college days, I knew a number of very high priced call girls. (I have never been one myself) They were professionally accomplished women, some with advanced degrees, who were expected to stimulate the mind of the client as well as the body. All kinds of fantasy services were offered, including one RN who specialized in medically safe SM for handicapped clients.
This is gonna be hung around our necks by the thugs 24/7 ’til November and the media will have a field day…just what they love – sex and sin.
‘Cuse me while I go lose lunch.
I heard they get it for free in the airport bathroom…
LS @108:
“A kiss on the hand may be quite Continental, but diamonds are a girls best friend?”
Link?????*g*
I was being sarcastic. I hate to think women are still being peddled. We dont’ even know (with this company being international and all) if human trafficking and sex slavery might not be a part of this as well
Although this phrase doesn’t apply to Mr. Spitzer’s current situation:
“Rich people like free stuff”–an investment advisor who manages lots of retirement money for people told me that years ago and he’s right.
My mind going googly with Spitgate.
2 neologisms come to mind
Very excited news reporter is having an oralgasm
and
corrupt politician =prostitician
Sex is so much better than politics.. but both together is wonderful.
Well yes. But I don’t think that’s going to be how the MSM are going to play this. It will be a matter of moral condemnation. Can anyone honestly argue that GWB is not a whore?
I can hear my catholic mother’s guilt trip from here but here is the link
Oh MAN! Just when you thought the ‘pukes were having all the fun!
I haven’t seen anything much about any connection between Hillary & Spitzer. My impression is that they were both Ds from the same state so thought they should support each other. But I have no documentation, so don’t take my word for it.
Makes you wonder if he bullied his way into a whole lot of freebies, don’t it?
“client #9″ “6 phone conversations w/ Emperors Club”
He’s a Clinton supporter, but has said many positive things about Obama as well. I’m guessing BigMedia will let the usual suspects attach this to Dems in general, and that’ll be the way the majority of the public leaves with this when all said and done.
We need to pushback hard on this and do the dirty work for the candidates and make sure they don’t just forgot about the 100 more cases of Repubs doing things like this.
I would bet this is another GOP set-up, ala Siegelman.
Congressional pages are cheaper, too.
There is nothing to hang on anyone other than those in the ring, including Spitzer, unless it comes out that someone running or close to someone running is involved. The thing is….if the money laundering ended up as campaign contributions….well that would be another story.
“Indicted by SDNY for acts in DC”
Whether a Clinton supporter or not, it is awfully suspicious that only a Democrat is leaked about.
Did Karl Rove get in the first punch in Campaign 2008?
The NYSun had a story earlier this morning on the fact that the public corruption unit was handling these prosecutions — which is what has likely raised the stakes on this, and raises a whole host of questions in my mind that I’m hoping the press conference today might begin to answer.
Number 9, number 9, number 9….
nice. i’ll take vanessa for 5000 alex.
Indicted 2/7 – sealed
Let’s discuss Rudy and Bernie’s past sex lives. Let’s re-discuss Mr. McCain’s dealings with his lobbyist friend. I’m game. Of course McCain said I didn’t do ‘it’. End of that. Right?
The story is titillating and well we all know that MSM will grab onto any story like this. Have to see how this is going to play out
Joe Bruno is saying his prayers of thanksgiving right now.
OMG!!! a politician in another sex scandal…… shocking – not to me…..
Good Lord. Just make acts between consenting adults legal.
You got that one right.
Alright. That’s it for me. I’m moving on.
More like a geisha system, only not exactly legal. And of course you hear different stories about the willingness of geishas to engage in sex with clients. But definitely a more expansive kind of service than the come-on.
Huh! Why do I get out of bed some days? You mean, he ran a sting operation or something more….eerrr, acceptable? OK. Someone explain to me what’s wrong with these guys? Do they think no one will find out? Don’t they know what the CIA and NSA never tell us – there are no secrets in the universe.
It will replace front page news and screaming-talking-vacant media heads. I like the news in the previous thread better.
Is this a new media distraction pattern, replacing dead blondes with live ones?
Anyone else who looked at the Emporer site think we could do a really funny spoof with a mimic site?
Lets snitch some photos of some of those overtly-sexy photos from the websites and myspaces and facebooks of our favorite wingnut talk-show vixens and start-up one called “The Empire Club”.
If Spitzer’s involved in sex or money laundering, it would be stupid and possibly criminal. The fall-out will be awkward, perhaps a minor catastrophe in local or state circles, which the Goopers would screech about as if they were eunuchs in a harem.
$5000/hr for top-of-the-line, never-say-we-met prostitutes for the world’s top politicians? Wouldn’t bat an eye. A top-flite geisha , who is a highly-trained entertainer, not a sex toy, easily costs in that neighborhood, so I’m told, certainly with the decline in the dollar.
At least as interesting is where this “news” came from, who leaked it and how. Leura Canary, the USA in Alabama, is reportedly very schooled on leaking prosecutorial details to her domesticated local press. There are undoubtedly related and more predatory species among the swamp environments in Washington.
As for whether this was derived from TIA sources, it would be useful to remember that What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas, is a marketing slogan, not a description of what happens to digital data in the most thoroughly monitored city in America.
wasn’t that Firesign Theater?
Or was it Cheech and Chong?
Oh look! Employment opportunities at the Emperors Club:
You are right about questions that raises…
“When we first got the case, we were surprised that these were the assistants handling the case,” said a defense attorney, David Gordon, who represents one of two women alleged to have booked engagements for prostitutes.” Gonzo and Rove?
“suggesting that the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan may have evidence that a public official hired a prostitute.” Is the public official Spitzer, or did Spitzer arrange for a public official to hire the hooker?
Actually, “Empire Club” would be a great spoof, since NY is The Empire State.
One last thought for tthe moment:
AP – Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed the idea of being Hillary Rodham Clinton’s running mate Monday, saying voters must choose between the two for the top spot.
Can you imagine being a veep under Hillary and having to contend with major dog?
WOODTOCK!!!
It was the Beatles.
The media loves dirty laundry. They ain’t about to let this one go without connecting the Clinton name (jokes included as an extra) and Obama (suggesting anything that comes into their dirty little minds). On and on and on….
Spitzer up.
The weird thing is that prostitution should be decriminalized. Who cares what people do with each other.
But it goes against the moralist puritanical meme in this country… which sells everything with sex, but forbids you from doing anything but the missionary position and only if you are married.
Most “adults” find this meme out of touch with the real world, but no one (in this country) in “power” will advocate for decriminalization.
So this “sex” thing is used to black mail and ruin careers and of course it ruins marriages.
Monogamy doesn’t work for too many people who try to maintain the facade.
Hypocrites.
decriminalize, regulate and let’s live in the 21st century. I don’t care you have sex with or what kind of sex you have, as long as it’s with adults and it’s consensual.
Elliot speaks now
Well sex of some kind was inevitably involved, and it was not objectionable to those who I knew. All seemed to enjoy their work.
Yeah and that would have lead every news cycle if not for the Spitzer story
ah…he got nuthin
I’m already bored. He’s a state politician. Yes, he’s the governor, and yes, it’s New York, but still. The governor of Florida is gay. The governor of California is the Terminator. The governor of Texas is a moron. This isn’t going to last 48 hours.
No resignation, just that he has behaved badly, needs to think about it, will report back in short order. “Politics is about ideas not people.”
Terser than any statement I’ve ever heard a pol make.
sounds like he admitted some sort of wrongdoing, but no details. Basically said nothing
Well, so far the stock market isn’t having a Spitzer bounce &@8212;down over 1 percent everywhere.
Christy and other legal beagles: if he’s formally indicted, doesn’t he basically have to resign, if he has any ethics at all? I know, I know, Tom Delay, Doolittle, et al have set different standards…
Thanks, it was bugging me…
Sgt. Pepper?
What do the other 4 have in common? They are Republicans. This story stays around for a while.
And more: “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.” NYtimes updated again…
violated his obligation? interesting choice of words (not judging him, just making a comment)
make that @ a # and you get —.
That’s a relief..PhD’s and Law..The GF is only an MD*g*
The others you mentioned are Repubs. This one’s a Dem. BIG difference.
FISA reform is gonna start looking real good to some of these people.
Was the wiretap legal? GAWD that’s not even funny.
I wonder what prompted the Federal Wiretap? That means that a court had to approve of it because an investigator had good reason to look into his phone calls, right?
White Album….Revolution #9:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9
THAT’S WHAT HE SAID????? omg. Well, I guess he didn’t want to give it up to Lt. Gov. Dave Patterson, huh?
OK, Spitzer’s name has been made public. I wonder who else in DC is a client of this high-priced sex service?
They bring in Tucker for analysis? They’re joking, right?
This is revenge of Wall Street hoping to knock-off Spitzer’s determination of reigning in the Wall Street Pirates. Sex scandals worked in the past to bring down dems. But it’s fresh on the heels of McCains lobbyist sex scandal which could rise up from the bottom of the birdcage.
Why they’re trying to bring down Spitzer, the monolines.
02/15/08″The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times report this morning that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is stoking the fire his insurance superintendent has set under the monoline bond insurers, saying they have five days tops to shore up (subscription site) their capital or be busted up.
Spitzer testified on Capitol Hill to a House subcommittee on capital markets that he could slice off the monolines’ large municipal-bond-insurance businesses if they don’t act quickly. He is trying to prevent downgrades of the bond insurers from sharply raising the borrowing costs of municipalities across the country. Yesterday, credit raters slashed the third-largest monoline’s rating six notches below the top-rated AAA, potentially affecting $300 billion of bonds.
Separating the municipal bond part of the business from the structured-finance part that has gotten them in trouble would be bad news for Wall Street, which would face tens of billions of dollars in write-downs because of the resulting downgrading of the bond insurers’ credit ratings. But Spitzer and Eric Dinallo, his insurance regulator, say their primary consideration is to protect municipalities and their bondholders:
If we do not take effective action, this could be a financial tsunami that causes substantial damage throughout our economy.
The WSJ reports that Spitzer broke congressional protocol by turning the tables on a top Republican inquisitor and “aggressively asking” him questions. Sounds like the fierce mentality that has spurred the governor repeatedly to act on Wall Street while the federal government twiddles its thumbs.”
http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/opening_bell_1.php
Bond insurer FGIC seeks go-ahead for split
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3b31…..d2ac.html?
nclick_check=1
IANAL but I’m guessing the wiretap was on the business and catching Sptizer in the net was some extra gravy.
Well wait sex scandals has been a repug thing, so they must be tapping his brain for his expertise?
Suggested motto: “We put the ‘lay’ in your layover!”
Perhaps he was receiving calls from overseas, so that would make him subject to unlimited surveillance nowadaze, right? He could be a terrorist after all…
Neither a live boy nor a dead girl. Move along folks.
Dems in New York will be working overtime for a few days, I shouldn’t wonder. Sad for all for the wrongs done, sadder for the defenses that will have to be launched against false claims of what was done.
The first hurdle should be whether any crimes were committed. The next and bigger one what social wrongs, if any, were committed. Dems are much less tolerant of hypocrisy than authoritarians, but authoritarians have no tolerance for hypocrisy among their opponents, who align with the anti-Christ in any event.
But let’s not forget, oh, Iraq, the financial meltdown, the permanent increase in oil and gas prices, the federal budget deficit with small-cell carcinoma, and an administration that turns federal law enforcement resources into partisan, ethic-less tools of corruption. To name a few.
Apparently now that his show is getting the axe he has some free time in his schedule.
MWAAAHAAHAAHAAAAAA
Good catch.
I thought that was only in Indiana…
If that’s the case (and think that you’re right), there’s probably quite a bit more gravy.
Spitzer is client #9 according to MSM.
I’m sorry but I just can’t help but think about how humiliating this is for his family.
That was my first thought. I know the world of BigMoney absolutely despises him.
Well, who are clients 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…and however are above 9???
First thing that popped into my mind to the headline “something is popping up” was it must be a Dick. Sorry guys, you have to be light hearted about something this awful. I’m still not clear if he was a user or an owner or both but the story will unroll soon. It puzzled the Texas me why he seemed like such a blessed crusader and then such a troubled governor. Being out of the loop here, I didn’t get any of it. Did you Easterners see any of this coming?
The moral of the story is, Big Dogs and other politicians can be as much about the drum roll of sex as they are about family, politics, representing their constituents and religion. Even if it can devastate all of the above. I wonder if women in power with families are as randy? We don’t hear that but there are fewer of us in power.
Not necessarily. CNN is stating that the Feds used telephonic wiretaps, as well as capturing email and text messages.
That is a pretty wide-ranging surveillance.
Well, as a New Yorker, I find this a bit depressing.
whoever..or whomever…I dunno.
rockpapersciz – see my comment waaay upthread about making powerful enemies – I was not talking about NY Republics ;)
Christy – search warrant request at this link (h/t tpm muck)
tpm muck
apparently he used cash
The report says the Feds were invesigating a prostitution ring and he was listed as one of the clients (#9)
Hmmm! You have me thinking here about this…
If you give it away for free it’s not regulated (at least in Western societies), except by moral strictures. So maybe it is the wehole taxation thing?
But then why not make it legal in brothels, where it could be taxed…just like attending amusement parks or cinemas?
It seems that the tax collection issue is similar to one of any “independent contractors” selling items or services without paying sales tax. But legalization and some tax collection would likely be a BIG revenue producer even if there wasn’t full capacity to collect. Plus it would likely be a safer industry in terms of health, safety of the employees, and benefits. It might reduce the influence of pimps and human traffickers simply by making the illegal aspects less “necessary”. I’m thinking the Netherlands here…only allowing “independent” agents and only EU citizens.
So will Spitzer be as brazen as Vitter and simply ignore the controversy?
If he does, he can point to Vitter. If he doesn’t and instead resigns, this might be an opportunity to point out that Democrats acknowledge responsibility while Republicans (like Vitter and Craig) don’t.
Power is a powerful aphrodisiac.
Prostitution needs to be de criminalized.
Can we get anything good out of this?
Why is this a scandal and not the deaths of human beings in Iraq?
I didn’t see this particular outcome, but I did spot Spitzer as a “bad guy” (see my 22). CNBC reports “shock” all around, so no one on Wall St. saw this specific downfall. Sentiment on the Street: There is a God.
And who runs the Fed’s investigatory branch? Couldn’t be Mukasey. That paradigm of objectivity. Could it?
Who would have thought than an administration that railroaded a former Alabama governor into prison for local partisan gain for Karl Rove’s clients would refrain from using its TIA resources to monitor the Democratic state governor with jurisdiction over Wall Street? Governor of a key electoral state and the one with the closest ties to Hillary Clinton. Show of hands, please.
I think he will try to stay by saying that it is between the family…unless he is linked to the money laundering.
sex is over rated
This is heartbreaking and Tucker should just shut up about Spitzer’s wife being there. My guess, knowing Silda, is that she insisted on being next to Eliot during these remarks. My guess is she see this as the first step in their family’s healing.
Wouldn’t the stuff in Europe be legal? At least if it was between consenting adults and legitimate under European law?
Why have they still not released names from all the other prostitution rings in DeeCee over the last couple of years? There were supposedly going to be all kinds of names from the DeeCee Madame case and Porter Goss limo service case. We were hearing for a while about all the “big names” that were going to come out of those, but years later nothing.
Now this one comes out in a month?
Why is it so strange that men are chasing skirts, married or not? This is a common as green grass.
I think we ought to legalize prostitution and put this capital venture on the stock market. Call it an ISP type thingie.
Yeah, the Street hates him because he’s been beating their heads about their lousy deals. As usual, they’ll get bailed out and the main street investor will get screwed. Suckers.
The real potential problem for Spitzer is that the Emperors Club was apparently laundering money for the mob, and Spitzer prosecuted the mob when he was NYS AG. That’s a real serious conflict, no matter what the timing (apparently his hooking up with the prostitue was last month and he’s been gov for 1 year, 3 months).
Well, it could mean she has one less Superdelegate ;-)
From the warrant on the TPM link:
That sounds like this wasn’t the first time.
Kiddo this could save the economy!
Well, duh, I was under the distinct impression that the government has all of our text messages!
How well do you know the Spitzers, and do you have any insights on what would make him do this? I doubt that this was his first dalliance, just the first time he got caught.
From what the NYT article is saying, Spitzer might be charged under the Mann Act which is a Federal offense:
Looks like Jane wants to change the subject upstairs!
I hear from Louisiana Vitter is really and nice man and has a nice family he just did a wrong thing, a long time ago, but it’s all good now. He just sinned and all people sin.
Senator Craig’s press conference.
That and drugs.
has HRC denounced or rejected him yet ?
His sponsor and Spitzer are such good friends, too. But I digress.
Vanna?
funny!
Another Pee Pee Posse.
Excellent use of scarce federal resources.
Auction Debt Succumbs to Bid-Rig Taint as Citi Flees
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) — The collapse of the auction-rate bond market, where state and local governments go to raise cash, demonstrates that regulators are no match for Wall Street.Hundreds of auctions have failed this month, sending borrowing costs as high as 20 percent because dealers from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to Citigroup Inc., UBS AG and Merrill Lynch & Co. stopped using their own capital to support the sales. Regulators, who allowed the manipulation of bids and lack of information to persist even after two probes in the past 15 years, are now watching a $342 billion market evaporate at the expense of taxpayers.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…..refer=home
(Feb 21)Rates on $100 million of bonds sold by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, with bidding run by Goldman, soared to 20 percent yesterday from 4.3 percent a week ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Almost sounds as if the gals could have been acting as “lobbyists” as well with those credentials. Funny they didn’t want any Scientists, Historians, Doctors, or Engineers.
It was likely a wiretap on the phone lines of the prostitution ring folks — the bookers, the business partners, etc. — you’d pick up incoming call information that way.
Wait! QAT…isn’t that the Somali amphetamine-like drug? And if this was a phone tap…how did they know it was spelled QAT…rather than KAT or CAT (as in “Katherine”)? Why make it sound so “Middle Eastern”, and all?
The Wall Street pirates are desperate. If anything, they are running naked through the streets wearing a sandwich board of “The end of the world is coming, Repent now.” In offering Spitzer’s dalliance they’re hoping to save the investment banks as they slide into the sea of red ink. Bernanke’s 200 billion dollar bailout this week wont have made a dent. In fact all he’s done is thrown gasoline (pardon my pun) onto Wall Street’s mega fire. The banks in turn are dumping these Fed loans into Gold, Oil, and Wheat. Thereby creating more bubbles and mega inflation in commodities.
DOW down to 153.54, Oil up $107.94
Investment Banks Plunge on Market Fear
Monday March 10, 3:06 pm ET
By Dan Seymour, AP Business Writer
Investment Banking Stocks Sink to Multiyear Lows on Concerns About Unraveling Market
NEW YORK (AP) — Investments banks’ stocks plunged to their cheapest prices in years Monday, as the unraveling of a host of investments raised the prospect of more losses on Wall Street and a seize-up in financing.
How is ‘dear leader’ involved in this?
Wouldn’t W be offended for someone to use his name, er title ‘emperor’ without his permission?