Spitzer: The End of an Affair
New York is in Spitzer Shock
Eliot Spitzer was a stellar two-term state attorney general, a Harvard and Princeton University graduate, a promising state leader and a rumored future presidential candidate, making his fall from grace a steep one. On Wednesday, less than 48 hours after news broke of his involvement as a customer in an upscale prostitution ring, Spitzer resigned from his post as New York State governor.
Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson is set to be sworn to the post Monday, making him the first African-American governor in New York, the third black governor in the nation, and the first ever legally blind governor.
While Spitzer’s approval ratings have been slipping in recent months, New Yorkers were shocked by the scandal, which could even result in criminal charges against the now-former governor, in addition to the significant personal humiliation. He delivered his confession, apology and resignation to the public with his wife, Silda, by his side, while the media speculated about previous and on-going marriage troubles.
According to a federal affidavit, Spitzer has was a regular customer of a high-end prostitution service, the Emperors Club V.I.P., which charged clients up to $5,500 an hour for their “models.” While transcripts of wiretaps provide some details about the tryst between the governor, dubbed Client-9, and the prostitute, Kristen, they don’t provide much insight into the exact nature of the services rendered.
While attorney general, Spitzer was known for taking a tough stance on corporate crime, investigating top Wall Street firms, jailing and fining many involved in money laundering schemes, corruption, price fixing, and other crimes, garnering the fear and resentment of many of those who worked in the financial sector. Now that Spitzer is himself the target of a federal money laundering investigation, much of Wall Street is reveling in what many consider to be his comeuppance.
Elected to the governor’s office in a landslide victory in 2006, “the Reformer” was meant to bring his unapologetic strong will to Albany. Starting bold, Spitzer proposed a bill to grant state driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, only to withdraw the bill under mounting pressure, losing much of his political appeal among proponents and opponents on both sides of the aisle. Many wrongly speculated that the failed legislation would go down as the major blow to his political career.
As the scandal unfolded this week, Spitzer weighed his resignation for two days while Democrats calculated its implications for local government and for the Democratic primaries, since the governor was a super delegate, who endorsed New York’s Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Prior to Spitzer’s resignation, the media frenzy outside his Upper East Side apartment grew, as did the public’s demand for more on the story. NYC Pavement Pieces hit the streets for the latest word on the scandal…