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There’s a certain poetic quality to this final act of Spitzer's. His extraordinary popularity with members of the press (now presumably extinguished) was rooted in his willingness to leak, sotto voce, allegations of misconduct in the personal lives of the subjects of his investigations. The press loved the juicy headlines. His motivation was apparently to embarrass and intimidate the subjects of his investigations so that they would be forced to comply. We admit to enjoying the spectacle of watching a man so given to the high moralistic tone brought low by such a misdeed. As one commenter on the New...

Eliot Spitzer today decried the use of government wiretaps. According to Spitzer, the Bush Administration is using the FISA Law to entrap honest Governors like himself. "I told you this would happen if you let the Bush Administration tap people's phones". "They say they are looking for Al_Qaeda, but they are really targeting their political opponents under the guise of the war on terror" he said. Spitzer further went on to criticize the government for preventing people from making a living. "Those ladies have bills to pay" he explained. "Some of them aren't as incredibly smart as I am, so...

I promised myself I would not gloat when the news broke that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was caught with his pants down in a virtual brothel. So I break a promise. Horsewhip me. Which may be what Spitzer asked various chippies to do to him. ... Entertaining as it is when the mighty fall, it is ever more enjoyable when they have painted themselves in sanctimonious hues. But in Eliot’s case it is not surprising. Spitzer has long been a man for whom ruthless exercise of power fed his ego. Getting his way and doing what he damned well...

In the 3 pm hour, in the first blush of the prostitution revelations against liberal Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York, MSNBC’s experts quickly described the scandal as a nothing-burger. Alan Dershowitz attacked America for being a "pandering society and hypocritical society," since this wouldn’t even make the back pages of a newspaper in sophisticated Europe. "Big deal, married man goes to prostitute!" Dershowitz also blamed "men" (as a group) for thinking with their private parts. Tucker Carlson agreed with that line, and said that Spitzer is sleazy, but this is "one of the least sleazy things he’s done." About...

Clinton camp mum on Spitzer By Sam Youngman Posted: 03/10/08 06:18 PM [ET] Hours after reports first said that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) solicited a prostitute, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) campaign had yet to comment on its New York surrogate’s involvement and afternoon statement. Clinton later in the day reportedly said she did not want to comment on the situation except to offer her "best wishes" for Spitzer and his family. Clinton twice said she did not have a comment when asked directly for one, according to reports, saying she wanted to "see how things develop." Spitzer...

What We Know About Client 9 From a redacted copy of the sealed complaint about the Emperor's Club prostitution ring, we were able to extract the following details about Client 9's dealings with the organization, and his Washington liaison. Client 9, according to the Times, is the one alleged to be Governor Eliot Spitzer. We have no official confirmation of this. But below are the things that we do know about this mysterious player from the legal papers: • He refused to use a "traditional wire transfer" to pay the organization but arranged for an Emperor's Club girl to take...

The New York Times is reporting that New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, who rode to national prominence as a reform-driven state attorney general, has been implicated in a prostitution ring. Spitzer is reportedly making a public statement this afternoon, and we'll update as it unfolds. Spitzer has had a tough year as governor, including revelations that his staff might have improperly used state assets to spy on state Sen. Joseph L. Bruno, the senate majority leader who had become Spitzer's main political opponent in Albany. Spitzer had been a rising national political star for the Democrats. But if this story...

NEW YORK (AP) - A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution ring was caught on a federal wiretap. The official says Spitzer is identified in court papers as "Client 9," and the wiretap was part of an investigation that opened in the last few months. The official says the New York governor met last month with at least one woman in a Washington hotel. The law enforcement official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for...

ALBANY - 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. The wiretap recording, made during an investigation of a prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP, captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a room. The person briefed on the case identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

NEW YORK - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has told senior advisers that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reported Monday, citing an anonymous top administration official. Spitzer, who is married with three daughters, was scheduled to make an announcement Monday afternoon. Spitzer officials wouldn't immediately comment on the story. The Times reported that a person with knowledge of the governor's role believes the governor is identified as a client in court papers. Four people allegedly connected to a high-end prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP were arrested last week. The Web site of the Emperors...

Most folks are happy with a job making $50,000 a year. But, how about a job making $5,500 an hour? That’s how much the top starred prostitutes working for the Emperor’s Club VIP were making until the prostitution ring was brought down by federal agents. The Emperor’s Club VIP was an international prostitution ring with some well to do clients capable of paying such high hourly rates. There were four arrests made for violation of federal prostitution laws and other charges included money laundering. The accusation is that more than $1 million in payments from clients was laundered through the...