FOX 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."
the complaint
A Pictorial Tour of The Emperor's Club Ladies
Wonkette has Kristen. From her old website.
Kristen is Ashley Dupre
'Hollywood Madam' Heidi Fleiss: Client 9 Is an Arrogant Jerk
The former Hollywood Madam, who at 27 had an empire netting $10 million a year, joined a chorus calling for Spitzer's resignation Tuesday.
"How can you be in office, when you're so misleading?" Fleiss said. "You have to adhere to different standards, first of all, when you're in office ... and he was very aggressive in pursuing prostitution rings, which we know in this instance seems like adults doing adult things."
She's not holding her breath on the possibility of criminal punishment.
"Nothing ever happens to the men, you know how it goes," Fleiss said. "Like I said, I don't recommend prostitution as a career at all, but I think it's absolutely set up wrong how the women are the only ones that get beat down. ..."
"There are so many different forms of prostitution," she added. "Politicians are the biggest whores on earth. They'll change their opinion for any amount of money, you know."
Stand by Yourself, By DINA MATOS McGREEVEY
Client #9 T-shirts and gifts
$4,300 for a piece of ass, somehow it doesn't really seem worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange to see the wife stand beside her husband under these conditions.
ReplyDeleteHe risked her life. He risked infecting her with AIDS.
A committed monogamous relationship is worth more than all the millions of Elliot Spitzer, worth more than all the money in the world - it is worth your life today.
Agreed, Rose. One partner is the way it works the best. All Politicos it seems fall into these traps....Power corrupts, don't it?
ReplyDeleteOh, except for One Candidate that truly is beyond all that.....
*end shameless plug for Wollfs Presidential Endorsement post*
Wollf
I still can't get over the price. $4300, and I think I read he might have dumped as much as $80,000 total into this.
ReplyDeleteI can think of better things to buy for $80,000. Out $80,000 and a chance to win the STD lotto. Smart man in my book.
rose,
ReplyDeletegreat post.
anon.r.mousy,
if you want the best, you have to pay for the it..... did you see the links? the one where she is unmasked as ashley dupre is my favorite.......
Which link is that?
ReplyDeleteI like the Heidi Fleiss comment. But Mrs. McGreevey's perspective is pretty poignant.
rose,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pagesix.com/story/spitzer+s+hooker+revealed
i found it by clicking on the wonkette link, then the link above.
http://www.myspace.com/ninavenetta
ReplyDeleteYou mean her?
oops.....click on the wonkette link, then click on the link that contain the words "this is her old website page"...
ReplyDeleteStill, not worth the money.
ReplyDeletethe most poignant comment on the subject so far has come from anon.r.mouse...when he called a woman "a piece of ass", i realized just what a literary genius we have in our presence...
ReplyDeleteMrs. Spitzer might be standing by her husband at the podium but I haven't seen any expressions on her face the last couple of days that suggest she's feeling any love or empathy for that man.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tom.
anon.r.mous,
ReplyDeletedo you have experience in pricing call girls? how would you know how much is too much?
she looks like a load of fun to me. thats priceless in my book.....
I think a prostitute qualifies as a "piece of ass." Sorry, Theo.
ReplyDeleteWell Theo, funny you should talk about that....
ReplyDeleteBut with comments like this "she looks like a load of fun to me. thats priceless in my book....." and "if you want the best, you have to pay for the it..... did you see the links? the one where she is unmasked as ashley dupre is my favorite......."
I think you'd have more information in the "Pay to Play" area of Old Town.
So Theo, how much have you spent on hookers, whores and ladies of the evening?
(PS There is a show on HBO(?) that deals with the Brothels in Nevada, and they talk about pricing)
Ok Rose....and I know I am going to regret this
ReplyDeleteBut, shouldn't it be a"pectoral" tour of the Emperor's Club ladies?
My question is does Ashley Dupre surf?
And, if so, where was she on that fateful Friday afternoon at Moonstone?
If I could just tell you how many people have speculated today just what it would cost to - oh well, never mind - but I figured 50 bucks oughtta do it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you know I was being facetious when I thanked Tom.
ReplyDeleteanon.r.mousy,
ReplyDeletewhat in my comments made you think that id have to pay for sex? luckily, i was raised to be open about sex, and ive never needed to get some on the side. my sexual partners have always met my needs just fine.
so yeah, i think that woman looks mighty fun. and i stand by my assertion that whatever you want in life, if you want the best, you have to pay for it.
also, the pic where the woman is revealed as ashley dupre is still my favorite. im sorry that i am able to appreciate the beauty of the human body without regarding it as "a piece of ass".....
well said theo
ReplyDeleteNo matter what political party a politcian is, it was a stupid thing to do. Resigning was the right thing to do. And I agree with AnonRmous - that is way too much money!
ReplyDeleteSo what would you all think if he got busted smoke'n pot? Sex drugs and rock n roll, Why should anyone care? I realize that the x-gov was a class A ass to everyone else on these issues---so he's getting his come-up-ens. Aside from that when will we get a grip on society's inability to legislate morals. The whole deal is dumb.
ReplyDeleteNo, that was Mary Ann who got busted for pot in her car, and that is just silly - but if it comes right down to it - change the law.
ReplyDeleteThis is the sex, love and rock and roll generation who smoked pot and took acid, change the laws, but don't think you can just ignore them if they are still in place.
Spitzer is unique, kind of like Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart - claimed the high road and attacked others who did what he did, didn't live up to his own standards. Otherwise, who would care if he paid for a hooker?
Hey, don't worry about me....I already got a new job....should save me a few bucks too, just "testing the merchandise".
ReplyDeleteBesides, I'll need all the $$ I can get my hands on by the time my Wife's Karma finishes running over my Dogma.
Peace, out Ho's....
Elliot
(well, not really)
Peace out?
ReplyDeletePiece out.
Whoa! You clean up nice, Wollf.
A whore's a whore no matter the price, Tom, & "ass" is what she's selling. I'll take your word for it that if you want the best you have to pay for it... though I'm not sure how you know that since you say you've never "had" to pay for sex. Guess you've never had "the best". (:
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if you think a man like Spitzer "had" to pay for sex? There are plenty of ambitious, beautiful, hard-bodied, young women who would sleep with a man in his, ah, position without the crass exchange of money but with the expectation of some type of payment. As I said, a whore's a whore no matter the price.
Powerful men such as Spitzer don't pay for sex. They pay for silence. It says so right in the contract. I'm sure of it!
Close but no "cigar" Robin. The dirty, nasty, sweaty,oh my God I can't believe she can do that sex isn't what we pay for. We pay so they will go away.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that what I said? Important, powerful men like Spitzer (no offense, honey, but I doubt that includes you) don't pay for sex... they pay hush money.
ReplyDeleteAlso, 9:08, this was a business transaction in which the governor was the customer - & a repeat customer, at that - so I don't think he was paying her to go away... quite the opposite.
ReplyDeleteNo dear Robin ,quite the contrary. After sex we want you all to go away. You stay and babble on,we're happy to pay the hooker to go so we can sleep in peace,untill the next time we need a piece.
ReplyDeleteYannow....as expensive as the sprite was, you'd think that after the act she magically trasforms into a sixpack of Corona and a Pizza.....
ReplyDeleteBut yannow agian....I kinda like the cuddlin and talking "after"....
That doesn't make me Ghe, does it?
Wollf
robin said:
ReplyDelete"A whore's a whore no matter the price, Tom, & "ass" is what she's selling. I'll take your word for it that if you want the best you have to pay for it... though I'm not sure how you know that since you say you've never "had" to pay for sex. Guess you've never had "the best". (:
I'm wondering if you think a man like Spitzer "had" to pay for sex?"
robin,
no one "has" to pay for sex. the fact that spitzer wasnt able to communicate to wife about what he needed sexually, doesnt mean that he "had" to go elsewhere to get what he needed. he could have asked his wife to act out his fantasies. he could have gone out of his way to improve his sex life with his wife. he could have also used his hand. but instead, he chose to go elsewhere and pay for it. that said, as a libertarian, i think a man should be able to spend his money how he wants, but thats another story..
as for having the "best", i dont kiss and tell. i can tell you that ive had many fantastic sexual experiences that were free of charge and that will stay in my mind forever. im married now, and very sexually satisfied, thank you.
my point about paying for the "best" applies to everything, not just whores. houses, trucks, jewelry, toys, music instruments, hotel suites, food, whatever it is, you will be charged a higher rate when buying higher quality products or services. thats all im saying. i would bet that $4300 is the going rate for kristan...
Why am I not surprised you're paying for it, 11:47?
ReplyDeleteNo, Wollf, it just means you'll always be everything 11:47 isn't.
And you, too, Tom. I'm happy for you & your wife. Truly I am.
I hear there's a job open in New York for a fine, upstanding family man who takes seriously his wedding vows & official duties...
Oh Dad gummit. A Job opening and I'm underqualified.....not married....crud.
ReplyDeleteOld joke, Tom:
ReplyDeleteA man walks into a bar, takes a stool next to a beautiful woman, strikes up a conversation & buys her a drink. During the course of the conversation, the man asks if he may ask her a hypothetical question. She agrees & the man asks, "Would you sleep with me for a million dollars?"
The woman is surprised but she gives the question serious & considerable thought. Finally, she looks the man up & down & says, "A million dollars is a lot of money. Sure. I'd do it for a million dollars."
After awhile the man asks if he may ask her another hypothetical question. The woman agrees & the man asks, "Would you sleep with me for a dollar?"
"A DOLLAR?!!" the woman bellows. "Just what do you think I am?" to which the man replies:
"We've already established what you are. We're just negotiating a price."
robin,
ReplyDeleteive got no problem with paid whores. as a libertarian, i can see the service that they provide to society. prostitution should be legalized.
robin,
ReplyDeletei dont think that marital fidelity is in the job description for politicians. im not an elected official, but if my boss found out that i had paid a whore to have sex with me, i wouldnt resign. in addition, i would file a lawsuit if i was fired for that.
adultry is not a crime......
My wife was a hooker in Reno when I met her. So don't run down whores. She's a great lay but some times her capisity for kink scares me. She talks a lot but it's always hot. I've put the money I've saved in a college fund for the kid.
ReplyDeleteat $4,300 a pop your kid can go to the highest priced college in the land. Not a bad deal.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the laws against prostitution originated. Is it shrouded in history? Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteOh, B.S., 4:34, 11:47 or whatever you call yourself! You're an adolescent boy with an active imagination & a stack of Playboy magazines under the bed.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm in agreement with you, Tom... except I think some states do still have some old laws on the books making adultry illegal. I also think that if you were an elected official, you wouldn't be you. (:
Then... get married, Wollf! N.Y. needs you! Or maybe it's just Brooklyn? Hee-haw! LOL!
Interesting question, Rose. Should we really research it?
Yes,I do have a nice college fund buildt up. Robin ,chill a bit. That's just the negitive vib that will send the old man out the house with a hundred dollar bill and a need to breed. Get it?
ReplyDeletelmao at that one. A bit tounge in cheek or is it tounge between cheek?
ReplyDeleteI guess it is kinda like the pot argument. I don't entirely care if they legalize it, I still don't want it around me, wouldn't be standing there next to my husband under those circumstances, no possible way. Wouldn'ta stood by Bill Clinton either, and there were no prostitutes involved there.
ReplyDeleteYou keep your vows, or you get a divorce. If you want to be with someone else, get the divorce.
Anyway, Kristen/Ashley is now gonna be a millionaire by the looks of it - her song has now been downloaded over a million times at .98 (cents) a pop. If she invests it wisely...
ReplyDeleteIt's an odd world, isn't it. If you were going to to award a million dollars would it be to someone like that? Or to someone more deserving?
She'll probably make the talk show rounds, pose for Playboy, get a recording contract & take a few bit parts in the movies, too, Rose. I wonder if the governor promised he'd make her a star.
ReplyDeleteWhatever type & amount of compensation Mrs. Spitzer gets out of this won't be enough.
The political career of the errant Eliot Spitzer - the hypocritical so-called "moral candidate", ex-governor & purchaser of prostitutes (possibly with taxpayer money) - is probably over. He isn't a Clinton or a Kennedy, after all, & does anybody know who John Blackthorn is? If Spitzer didn't know it before, he knows it now: education is expensive.
I can't imagine standing by my husband in a situation such as this, either, but I also can't imagine my husband being so morally & character deficient as the ex-governor.
I'd have more respect for a man & politician who stood up & said, "I cheat on my wife & smoke pot" than I do for the ones who do those things & lie about it. I'd also have more respect for the cucqueaned wife if she'd make a public & honest display of the fury scorned women have rather than obediently standing by her man while his PR people skillfully divert our attention from him to the poor suffering her. She could make a powerful statement by not showing up for that news conference.
As for the sleaze, I don't want it around me, either, & I hope I'm never touched by it. I also keep hoping that, like mold, it will die in the sunlight.
why is having sex "morally & character deficient"? the sad thing is, if the guy voted to bomb the hell out of a country, or if he voted cut health care to kids, you same peope would be cheering for him. but when he has consentual sexual contact with a woman, he is morally deficient?
ReplyDeleteprudeness is so unbecoming.....being in denial about sexuality doesnt serve anyone....
heres what you people dont get: maybe his wife is fine with his messing around. maybe they are swingers. maybe they like threesomes. maybe they have an open relationship that allows them to experiment sexually with others. the kink lifestyle is not illegal...
from wikipedia: using the search "prostitution"......
ReplyDelete"Originally, prostitution was widely legal in the United States. Prostitution was made illegal in almost all states between 1910 and 1915 largely due to the influence of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union which was influential in the banning of drug use and was a major force in the prohibition of alcohol. In 1917 the legally defined prostitution district Storyville in New Orleans was closed down by the Federal government over local objections. Prostitution remained legal in Alaska until 1953 (though not yet a US state), and is still legal in some counties of Nevada."
Nah - the issue here is simply that Spitzer, like Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart, put himself on a higher moral plane and then didn't live up to it.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, it's a victimless crime. Or is it? Legalize it? Why not.
"victimless crime"......yah, I s'pose so...except,
ReplyDelete"Honey, I have some bad news and some Horrible news for yah...."
"Bad news is that I've been unfaithful and seeing a prostitute"
"Horrible news is that I now have AIDS and we're both gonna die....."
Personally? I tend to put all my eggs in one basket....and then take real good care of that basket.
Robin....married? Brooklyn?....hmmm, yah just never can tell....lalala
Wollf...back is still sore....from the plane ride dontcha know.
Wollf
It's interesting because there's a nationwide discussion right now about the value of a committed monogamous relationship vs. the fun and intrigue of a high priced call girl (who cute is she is is just another street punk from the story she tells) - and I agree with you, wollf, AIDS throws a whole new wrinkle in doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteShe gets a million bucks - and the wife gets.... humiliation, her life destroyed, her kids have to deal with peers who now know their Dad was fucking a prostitute all this time - oh yeah, it's great.
Yah, my Dear, it truly is a hot button topic....I s'pose even moreso to those of us who have been on the wrong end of the cheater stick, yannow?
ReplyDeleteI never did in the 20 plus with Miss X....mostly because I remember the devastation that I felt from the first one.....
Too personal, I s'pose....gotta run to the Banco....we'll talk on the side later, eh?
Wollf
Oh yah, don't miss my dreadlocks pic....I think I gotta future up there by you, growin the Ganja, hey
Tom,
ReplyDeleteMake yourself aware of Eliot Spitzer's campaign platform. Then you can come back here & resume calling me things I'm not.
Wollf,
I thought you said you are in love with a cowgirl from Brooklyn...
prostitution is a victimless crime.........
ReplyDeletethe fact that adultry was involved in this case doesnt change the argument. dont confuse adultry, which is regulated within a household, and prostitution, which is regulated within the realm of law enforcement.
the AIDS argument wont work either. legalizing prostitution would make regulating of whores possible, reducing the risk.
robin,
ReplyDeletei never called you anything. ive read through the thread a few times now, and im not sure what you are referring to.
also, i could care less what spritzers campaign was about. did he say he wouldnt screw hookers? if not, it doesnt really matter. i rarely believe a word that any politician says anyways.
He ran on a high moral platform.
ReplyDeleteThe kicker today is little now a millionaire Kristin/Ashley threatening to sue people for ''unauthorized" use of her photos. Hate ta tell ya, Babe, but it's a little late in the game to want your self respect back. You oughtta be begging people to keep giving you all that free publicity - you may never have to work again if this lasts more than a week. The fact that people want a look at the messed up little street tramp turned call-girl that brought down a giant like Spitzer is your extreme good fortune, and after they see your photo they're paying you a buck for your song. What do you want $4,300 a download?
a "high moral platform" seems a bit vague....we still dont know if his wife was OK with this act or not. if she was OK with it, what morals were broken?
ReplyDeletemy main point: it is up to the WIFE to decide her husband's fate. not big brother, not some prude bloggers and not the media.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought what he was really in trouble over was violating the Mann Act, that is transporting the prostitute over state lines... if he'd just made her pay her own train fare out of the $4,300 she was getting, he woulda been ok.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on a lot of levels - same thing with Clinton - it shoulda been up to Hillary to deal with him, not an impeachment... but there was that little other problem - called lying about it under oath instead of just saying none of your business.
the fact that there is a law against "transporting a prostitute" across state lines tells me that we have WAY too many laws........do we need a law for every single possible scenario that could occur? no wonder we need so many lawyers and cops and jails........
ReplyDeleteI rather favor the ten basic laws. They seem to cover it all, don't they - and even a few of those are unnecessary... But having less laws depends on the goodness of people to make it unnecessary to have more detailed and more laws....
ReplyDeletehaving less laws requires that people tolerate others' differences. that is becoming more and more rare in this world.....
ReplyDelete"good" and "bad" are judgement calls. id prefer that people just let people be. that goes for the government too...
With some caveats, I agree.
ReplyDeleteBut not all right and wrong, good and bad are judgement calls. Some are. And some of those are the victimless crimes we're talking about.
So, do we just abandon all the laws?
I have to admit I am in favor of starting over and determining what we really think ought to be in the lawbooks, rather than letting incompetent state legislators justify their daily existence by passing ever more laws, and ever stupider laws, every session.
While you're talking about letting major dope growers off with no consequences, they are passing laws that will bust you and I for talking on our cell phone while we are driving, or for not turning on our headlights when our windshield wipers are on...
rose,
ReplyDeletewe agree on that.
Maybe on more than you think. :)
ReplyDeleteSince we can't erase all laws and start over from scratch - I would favor a new rule that you cannot pass a new law without removing an old one.
It would be easy at first as the really stupid laws would quickly be identified and revoked/repealed/eliminated. But it would get tougher, and then that debate could occur.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI was referring to your 10:09 "you people" comment.
I did not say having sex is morally & character deficient. I said Spitzer is morally & character deficient.
I don't know if Spitzer said he wouldn't screw hookers but he said he would screw you to the wall if you screw hookers.
Whether his wife is "okay with it" or not is beside the point. That's between she & her morally & character deficient husband. They should now have plenty of time to talk about it if they need to. She gets to decide the fate of her marriage & that is all. His fate & future will be decided elsewhere.
Prostitution laws may be outdated but that doesn't change the fact that they are on the books & that what Spitzer did is illegal. He is an attorney & former governor who was sworn to uphold the law. As Attorney General of N.Y. state, he actively prosecuted those laws in at least two cases against prostitution rings & now has actively & knowingly violated those same laws.
Spitzer is the one who decided to campaign on the high morals/high ethics platform. He is the one who stated he was going to "clean up" N.Y. He could have, instead, opposed the prostitution laws & used his high profile position & campaign to advocate for changing those laws. Had he done that, he wouldn't seem so hypocritical now.
Anytime an influential, high-powered, elected official puts himself in a position of not wanting to be found out, he opens himself up to potential political pressure & blackmail that could force him to make decisions & take actions that are not in his constituent's best interest. We'll probably never know if that happened with Spitzer or not so can never be sure.
Spitzer violated public trust & probably every oath he's ever taken. That makes him a morally & character deficient man in my book.