News Eliot Spitzer Linked to Prostitution Ring

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Eliot Spitzer, the New York Governor, has been implicated in a prostitution ring, raising questions about his integrity given his previous strong stance against such activities as Attorney General. Reports indicate that he was recorded arranging a hotel meeting with a prostitute, leading to speculation about his potential resignation. The scandal has drawn attention to his earlier promises of ethical governance and has sparked discussions about the political ramifications, especially concerning his relationship with Hillary Clinton. Many participants in the discussion express disappointment and call for accountability, emphasizing the need for clarity regarding his involvement. The situation highlights the complexities of political scandals and their impact on public trust.
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The New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer (D) has been linked to a prostitution ring as reported in the New York Times (and thus it could all be a big lie). As attorney general in 2003, Spitzer
...spoke with revulsion about prostitution after he brought suit against a Queens company suspected of planning sex tourism trips to Asia.

The agency, Big Apple Oriental Tours, had been accused in a lawsuit brought in July 2003 by Spitzer of arranging tours for men seeking sex with prostitutes, some underage, in the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia.

"The company purports to be a traditional travel agency, but through its actions promotes prostitution and the abuse of young women," Spitzer told reporters after suing the company. "This suit seeks a halt to this egregious conduct."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/nyregion/10cnd-spitzer.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It seems very unlike the Eliot Spitzer that said upon his inauguration
"Every policy, every action and every decision we make in this administration will further two overarching objectives: We must transform our government so that it is as ethical and wise as all of New York, and we must rebuild our economy so that it is ready to compete on the global stage in the next century".

Thanks for the 'transformation', Eliot.
 
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Hopefully, he will continue to throw Hillary Clinton his enthusiastic support.:smile:
 
Politicians are ****heads. No news here.

- Warren
 
Ugh, I hope this doesn't get buried under all the primary and election "news". These matters deserve serious attention. Either you clear his name entirely or find him guilty.
 
Spitzer was already on my black list for his "licenses for illegals" scam.
 
chemisttree said:
The New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer (D) has been linked to a prostitution ring as reported in the New York Times (and thus it could all be a big lie).
Hey - once in a while the NY Times gets it right! :smile:

The story has been given wide distribution - and Spitzer apologized to his family and the public. Well, at least he didn't deny it.


Apparently the feds have him on tape - Client 9 - arranging a rendezvous ($4300) at a hotel in Washington. And apparently Client 9 is a repeat customer.
 
I can just see the ads now: Hooker $4,300 , Catch a politician doing the nasty, priceless. Master Card
 
He's probably going to resign in the morning, making David Peterson the first legally blind governor.
 
Has he no shame? Now he's ruined it for all of us.
 
  • #10
client8 said:
Has he no shame? Now he's ruined it for all of us.

:smile::smile::smile:

"Every policy, every action and every decision we make in this administration will further two overarching objectives: We must transform our government so that it is as ethical and wise as all of New York, and we must rebuild our economy so that it is ready to compete on the global stage in the next century".
As long as she was wearing a "Made in America" sticker, I don't see any problem.
 
  • #11
turbo-1 said:
Hopefully, he will continue to throw Hillary Clinton his enthusiastic support.:smile:

When interviewed about it, Hillary looked totally off-balance. She really looked ill.
Could Eliot have been her potential running mate? He was certainly on a trajectory to the White House... I guess the Mayflower will have to do.
 
  • #12
Some news sites are now posting that Spitzer is expected to resign.
 
  • #13
chemisttree said:
When interviewed about it, Hillary looked totally off-balance. She really looked ill.
Could Eliot have been her potential running mate? He was certainly on a trajectory to the White House... I guess the Mayflower will have to do.
It still could work. Hillary for Prez and Spitzer for Vice.
 
  • #14
That would certainly cinch it for Obama.
 
  • #15
chemisttree said:
Could Eliot have been her potential running mate?

The senator and governor of a very blue state, running together? Not a chance, IMO. Attorney General, maybe, but not her running mate.
 
  • #16
Astronuc said:
Some news sites are now posting that Spitzer is expected to resign.

He violated two critical rules of sex scandals.

Don't get caught in a sex scandal when the opposing party controls at least one of the branches of legislature. Republicans control New York's Senate. (On the positive side, there's so few Republicans in the New York House that he'll never get impeached the way Clinton did). Spitzer could presumably face some kind of censure by a Republican New York Senate, just as Larry Craig was censured by a Democratic controlled Ethics Committee.

Don't get caught in a sex scandal when your replacement would be from the same party. Fellow party members are much more supportive when a member of the opposing party would be your replacement. David Vitter received much more sympathy from fellow Republicans and support for him staying in office in a state where a Democratic governor would name the replacement for a Republican Senator that resigned from office. Larry Craig received practically no support from fellow Republicans when his replacement would almost surely be another Republican.

If you're going to get involved in a sex scandal in spite of your possible replacement being from the same party, at least do it in a state so heavily tilted in your own party's favor that the opposing party can do nothing more than yell. Sure, Jim McGreevy may have eventually resigned early, but he was able to hang on long enough to ensure he was replaced by a fellow Democrat instead of forcing a special election that could be won by a Republican (in other words, it's almost the same as the previous rule).

It's probably best to get involved in a scandal in a state that has a long history of scandals. David Vitter simply displayed once again the truth that Louisiana seems to understand much better than the rest of the country - when it comes to scandals, the secret is practice, practice, practice!
 
  • #17
Revelations Began in Routine Tax Inquiry (which was far from routine)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/nyregion/11inquire.html
There, in the Hauppauge offices of the Internal Revenue Service, investigators conducting a routine examination of suspicious financial transactions reported to them by banks found several unusual movements of cash involving the governor of New York, several officials said.

The investigators working out of the three-story office building, which faces Veterans Highway, typically review such reports, the officials said. But this was not typical: transactions by a governor who appeared to be trying to conceal the source, destination or purpose of the movement of thousands of dollars in cash, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Spitzer needs to resign. His first year as governor was poor, and his actions have compromised what little effectiveness he had.
 
  • #18
I just passed the NY State Capitol building. It's surrounded by news vans.
 
  • #19
Hey everyone, I am "new" here. I actually was registered on PF 2.0, I think it was, but never renewed.

Anyways, this man totally changed after he officially took office. He did not follow through on many of his promises, he tried to undermine and drag his opponents' names through the mud using very questionable methods, and now this? I hope he resigns. If not, we can only hope he is impeached.

If you kept track of his career as Attorney General, you would know he was ruthless and did not give people the benefit of the doubt or a second chance. Perhaps he should be shown the same.
 
  • #20
This makes me wonder what the names of clients 1 thru 8 might be.

A Web site (www.emperorsclubvip.com) connected a worldwide web of wealthy and powerful men with a social network of high-priced prostitutes. The Emperors Club VIP Web site? A social search engine for the anachronistic term "call girls."
The embattled search engine Yahoo provided a convenient e-mail address: emperorsclubvipny@yahoo.com.

American Express was apparently the unofficial "official card" of The Emperors Club VIP. FBI wiretaps found numerous references to American Express in conversations between the defendants and prostitutes.

Time Warner Cable and Internet service providers (ISPs) turned over evidence and connected individuals to their e-mail accounts and personal computers.

The prostitution ring, identified in court papers as the Emperors Club VIP, arranged connections between wealthy men and more than 50 prostitutes in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, London and Paris.

http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3628701

Spitzer's name may only be the first of many to pop out of this can of worms.
 
  • #21
lisab said:
The senator and governor of a very blue state, running together? Not a chance, IMO. Attorney General, maybe, but not her running mate.

There's also the Constitution to worry about. Electors cannot vote for both President and Vice-President from their state. A Clinton-New Yorker ticket would mean that the VP candidate would start out 31 votes behind. In a close race, this could make the difference - you might have a GOP VP!
 
  • #22
I get "Sorry, the site you requested has been disabled." when I click on the link http://www.emperorsclubvip.com/ . Good work!

So much for the fear mongers out there afraid of what Homeland Security might find with their so-called warrantless wiretapping. The ISP's and Time Warner turned over evidence to investigators connecting e-mails with individuals and their computers.

Lesson: There is no anonymity on the internet.
 
  • #23
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  • #24
chemisttree said:
I get "Sorry, the site you requested has been disabled." when I click on the link http://www.emperorsclubvip.com/ . Good work!

So much for the fear mongers out there afraid of what Homeland Security might find with their so-called warrantless wiretapping. The ISP's and Time Warner turned over evidence to investigators connecting e-mails with individuals and their computers.

Lesson: There is no anonymity on the internet.

Perhaps you could send them an e-mail at emperorsclubvipny@yahoo.com.


ISP's routinely sell your browsing information to companies such as ChoicePoint and Entersect, who in turn combine it with public information and sell data bases to local law enforcement agencies. The information is highly error prone.

I had a friend run my local police record. It shows that I am married to my son's ex wife. .
 
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  • #25
chemisttree said:
So much for the fear mongers out there afraid of what Homeland Security might find with their so-called warrantless wiretapping.

Fear mongering is to argue that we live in such a dangerous world that we have to trash the constitution. We made it through fifty years of Soviet nukes pointed at us but still managed to preserve the law.

Are Americans are now such cowards that we can no longer live in a free society where liberties are protected?
 
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  • #26
lisab said:
The senator and governor of a very blue state, running together? Not a chance, IMO. Attorney General, maybe, but not her running mate.

I don't remember what i was watching, but Hillary sounded as if she was saying Dem's might get the chance to vote for both:confused: might she have meant that no matter which won, the other might become the running mate as VP ?
 
  • #27
RonL said:
I don't remember what i was watching, but Hillary sounded as if she was saying Dem's might get the chance to vote for both:confused: might she have meant that no matter which won, the other might become the running mate as VP ?
Clinton, in 2nd place, is threatening to strong-arm pledged delegates and super-delegates to deny Obama the nomination. She was coyly offering him a VP slot on HER ticket. It is not at all likely that Obama would offer her the VP slot, IMO, because she would bring very high negatives to the ticket, and he would be exposing his administration to the Clinton-style infighting and divisiveness that runs counter to his image. A more likely VP would be John Edwards, and I wish that he could announce such a ticket prior to the PA primary.
 
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  • #28
chemisttree said:
When interviewed about it, Hillary looked totally off-balance. She really looked ill.
Could Eliot have been her potential running mate? He was certainly on a trajectory to the White House... I guess the Mayflower will have to do.
No, she probably looked off-balance because it made her have flashbacks. That's what Jim McGreevy's wife commented when asked about it.
 
  • #29
jimmysnyder said:
One just needs to move out of state. That's what Cheyney did in 2000.

Easy if you're a private citizen. Harder if you are a sitting governor or a serving senator.
 
  • #30
Vanadium 50 said:
Easy if you're a private citizen. Harder if you are a sitting governor or a serving senator.
Good point, but he may have to stand up pretty soon. And with the old battleax standing there with a frying pan in her hand, a hasty change of scenery may be advisable for the former Governor. Clinton has experience with this stuff.
 
  • #31
Ivan Seeking said:
Fear mongering is to argue that we live in such a dangerous world that we have to trash the constitution. We made it through fifty years of Soviet nukes pointed at us but still managed to preserve the law.
Tell it to the victims of the HUAC, Hoover and the FBI, Jim Crow laws, etc. Thanks, but I'll take take 2007 anytime over 1957.
 
  • #32
RonL said:
I don't remember what i was watching, but Hillary sounded as if she was saying Dem's might get the chance to vote for both:confused: might she have meant that no matter which won, the other might become the running mate as VP ?

Well, I think the subtext is "I'll let you (meaning Sen. Obama) join my ticket as VP. If you don't accept this offer and it goes down to the wire, the VP position will go to someone else."

That said, I believe that Sen. Clinton needs Sen. Obama more than the other way around. I believe there are people who would vote for Clinton-Obama than Clinton-Someone else. I don't believe there are people who would vote for Obama-Clinton and who would not vote for Obama-Someone else.

As far as vice presidential candidates, I don't see John Edwards providing much value to Obama (unless he needs the 26 delegates!). I don't see anyone saying, "Well, I didn't care for that Obama fellow, but having John Edwards on the ticket changes things." Given the kind of campaign Edwards ran, I don't see him attracting moderate Republican or swing voters. I think it's much more likely to see someone with executive experience like Kathleen Sebelius (governor of Kansas, a democrat who can win an election in a red state) or Bill Richardson (governor of New Mexico, who formerly held two Cabinet-level positions). Maybe not those exact people, but someone with that sort of background and track record.
 
  • #33
This is just another example of a politician distracting the public with his right hand (putting prostitutes in jail) while with his left hand ( cheating on his wife with prostitutes) he/she contradicts everything they claim to believe and be against. nothing new with politicians and definitely not surprising. I got to applaud the guy for being so good at lying to so many people. The most interesting part of this story is how he got caught, and I would never have guessed, but it was the IRS, first honest thing department has done by my count :)
 
  • #34
t-money said:
This is just another example of a politician distracting the public with his right hand (putting prostitutes in jail) while with his left hand ( cheating on his wife with prostitutes) he/she contradicts everything they claim to believe and be against. nothing new with politicians and definitely not surprising. I got to applaud the guy for being so good at lying to so many people. The most interesting part of this story is how he got caught, and I would never have guessed, but it was the IRS, first honest thing department has done by my count :)
Agreed, Eliot Spitzer contradicted everything he/she claimed to be against when he/she cheated on his/her wife with his/her left hand. But don't you think the IRS was being honest about Capone when they put him/her behind bars?
 
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  • #35
Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation 11:45 today to be effective Monday, March 17. David Paterson, Lt. Gov., will become governor of NY.

I admire Spitzer for taking his lumps.
 
  • #36
Astronuc said:
...I admire Spitzer for taking his lumps.
Did he? Or did he plea bargain away any charges in exchange for resigning?
 
  • #37
I think it's quite unlikely he would have been charged.

First, he wasn't the target - the prostitution ring was. Second, it would be difficult to charge Client 9 without charging Clients 1-8 as well. I don't know what the cost of a federal trial is - certainly in the tens of thousands of dollars, and maybe in excess of one hundred thousand dollars. Times nine.

That's a lot of effort for very little gain.
 
  • #38
mheslep said:
Tell it to the victims of the HUAC, Hoover and the FBI, Jim Crow laws, etc. Thanks, but I'll take take 2007 anytime over 1957.

These too are all viewed as shameful episodes in US history.

Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws and not federal mandates. In order to end racist practices by individual States, the feds stepped in.

The HUAC lost it's battle and many of those persecuted were eventually exonorated.

Hoover was also out of control. I think most people agree on this point.

So tyranny is justified when other examples that are now rejected as being wrong or illegal can be cited?

Again, what about terrorism is more dangerous than the threat of global annihiliation or a sneak nuclear attack by the Soviets? What justifies extraordinary measures now that haven't always been justified using the same logic?
 
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  • #39
Ivan Seeking said:
These too are all viewed as shameful episodes in US history.

Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws and not federal mandates. In order to end racist practices by individual States, the feds stepped in.

The HUAC lost it's battle and many of those persecuted were eventually exonerated.

Hoover was also out of control. I think most people agree on this point.
Regardless of how they ended, all of these are clear examples of how constitutional protections were ignored: 14th, 4th, 5th. Further there was a great deal of actual suffering caused to US citizens because of it. Jim Crow laws would be thrown out before the ink was dry today.

So tyranny is justified when other examples that are now rejected as being wrong or illegal can be cited?
Strawman. I don't defend all the status quo. I do say the prior suggested historical perspective of now vs 50 yrs ago is totally upside down, if the actual harms to US citizens are weighed.
 
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  • #40
As for Spitzer, I thought his licenses for illegals scam was sneaky and underhanded and not in the interest of the US. It was intended to further his personal agenda to make illegals, legal, even though it clearly was in violation of the public trust.

I'm glad to see him go.
 
  • #41
Wow! $80,000 spent on prostitutes over a period of ten years! His latest just a day before Valentine's day! What a psychological wreck he must be. It's horrific the damage he has done to his wife and daughters. Quite a shock to their system this must be.
Chicago psychoanalyst Mark Smaller believes one can find useful parallels in the case of certain patients, from all walks of life, who exhibit a striking capacity to compartmentalize risky, unethical or even illegal behavior, a process known as the "splitting" of part of the personality.

"They can be otherwise completely law-abiding, sensible, reliable people," Smaller says. "Often the behavior in question is caused by intense anxiety, stress in the workplace or home, or feeling overwhelmed." And often, he says, the behavior can involve sex, drugs, or something like shoplifting.

"They compartmentalize to the extent that they don't feel any sense of shame or guilt," Smaller said. "Until," he adds, "they get caught."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/03/11/spitzer.psychology.ap/index.html


Will the media please stop photographing and displaying photos of his family? That is truly repugnant!
 
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  • #42
chemisttree said:
Wow! $80,000 spent on prostitutes over a period of ten years! His latest just a day before Valentine's day! What a psychological wreck he must be. It's horrific the damage he has done to his wife and daughters. Quite a shock to their system this must be.http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/03/11/spitzer.psychology.ap/index.html
They were charging about $4300 a pop. That's a couple times a year. (Although I'm not sure the price was always that high over the entire 10 year period.)

The price is more outrageous than the frequency. He could have bought over 20 Yugos for those prices.
 
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  • #43
BobG said:
They were charging about $4300 a pop. That's a couple times a year. (Although I'm not sure the price was always that high over the entire 10 year period.)

The price is more outrageous than the frequency. He could have bought over 20 Yugos for those prices.
Yeah, but call girls are easier to push around.
 
  • #44
turbo-1 said:
Yeah, but call girls are easier to push around.
rotflmfhoshticcmb.
 
  • #45
jimmysnyder said:
rotflmfhoshticcmb.

I think jimmysnyder's head just hit his keyboard...

jimmy! Wake up, jimmy!
 
  • #46
Vanadium 50 said:
I think it's quite unlikely he would have been charged.

First, he wasn't the target - the prostitution ring was. Second, it would be difficult to charge Client 9 without charging Clients 1-8 as well.

I would imagine that there are a lot more than 9 clients.

One thing the puzzles me is that the investigation was started over supposedly questionable money transfers. All of the stories I have read indicate the clients used American Express.

Is a $4,300 charge on an American Express card now considered questionable? This looks to me like the investigation was tailor made to try to catch Spitzer and ended up with some unintended consequences.

Those consequences being that what must be a large number of wealthy people were also found to be involved. It will be interesting to see how the investigators get around releasing all of the names.
 
  • #47
edward said:
One thing the puzzles me is that the investigation was started over supposedly questionable money transfers. All of the stories I have read indicate the clients used American Express.

Is a $4,300 charge on an American Express card now considered questionable?
No, it was the money transfers that were reported by the bank, not the Amex usage. Certain patterns of transferring money between accounts in your control can look questionable. What I heard (second-hand at work - I don't have a source right now) is that he set up a dummy corporation to hide the money from his wife.
I would imagine that there are a lot more than 9 clients.
[snip]

This looks to me like the investigation was tailor made to try to catch Spitzer and ended up with some unintended consequences.

Those consequences being that what must be a large number of wealthy people were also found to be involved. It will be interesting to see how the investigators get around releasing all of the names.
Doubt it. I doubt there is much of a market for $4,500 hookers, but I guess I could be wrong.
 
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  • #48
russ_watters said:
I doubt there is much of a market for $4,500 hookers, but I guess I could be wrong.
We might be in for some surprises, Russ. Apparently, as client 9 he was in pretty much from the get-go, and that ring has had a lot of time to build a client list. At that price-point, you should see lobbyists treating politicians to some extra-marital fun, and the guys on the hill won't be particularly anxious to see anything like that come out. There may be a whole closet-full of shoes waiting to drop.
 
  • #50
jimmysnyder said:
rotflmfhoshticcmb.
had you all the way until shticcmb. Family friendly hint? S=Spitzer?
 

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