Spitzer Resigns Effective Monday

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:01:39 AM EST
Tags: Eliot Spitzer (all tags)

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Update: Text of Statement.

Embattled New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce he is resigning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

More details of his trysts:

A person with knowledge of the service’s operations said that Mr. Spitzer had begun meeting with the prostitutes of the Emperor’s Club about eight months ago and had had encounters in Dallas as well as Washington. A law enforcement official said Mr. Spitzer also had an encounter with a prostitute in Florida. On some trips of several days’ duration, Mr. Spitzer scheduled more than one visit with a prostitute, this person said.

Update: He's now in the building. Updates below

Update: I predict a short statement and no questions. Waiting mode now. CNN.com should be carrying the statement live if you're not by a tv.

Update: His wife is with him. Ted Wells is with him!

In the past few days he's begun to atone. He's grateful for his family's love and compassion. He has been given much. He is sorry he didn't live up to what was expected. To every New Yorker, he apologizes.

He looks at what might have been. He has accomplished a great deal.

Over his public life he has insisted that people take responsibility for his conduct. He asks no less of himself.

He is resigning. Effective Monday, the date Paterson believes he can take over.

He will fix his problems and then rise from the fallen and try outside of politics to help the common good. He thanks everyone for the privilege of serving.

My view: He did what he needed to do.

Update: Looks like he will be going into rehab. "I will do what I have to heal myself..."

On the legal ramifications: No answers yet. See my earlier post on the latest details in that regard.

< Clinton Campaign On MI And FL | New York's New Governor: David Paterson >

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Spitzer Resigns Effective Monday | 73 comments (73 topical)

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Unlevel playing field and double standard (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Ellie on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:29:06 AM EST

The White House standard in response to scandal: We don't comment on ongoing legal matters (... till the trial is over ... the sentence comes down ... while the appeals process is occurring ... until all appeals are exhausted.)

Even Vitter and Craig had wagons circled around them. (Let's find out all the facts first yadda yadda while the story cooled.)

In the Spitzer case, within hours, his opponents thugged an immediate resignation. The (R) Senate Leader Bruno couldn't wait to get out there and take over.

Leading Dems were nowhere to be seen or heard. One of the CNN stringers quoted unknown Dems as saying they were waiting for Spitzer to make his announcement.

Ridiculous.

On a positive note (5.00 / 1) (#49)
by Iphie on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 11:10:10 AM EST

I do have high hopes for David Paterson. He is arguably a better "traditional" progressive. His positions on civil rights, the criminal justice system and economic justice, to name a few, are certainly more progressive than Spitzer. My only fear is that he may not be tough enough. In terms of personality, his reputation is of someone who is a very kind and decent person. And Albany really is a cess-pit. On the other hand, he has extensive Albany experience. He was a state senator for many years, and a couple of years ago he did manage a coup against Marty Connor, the previous Senate Minority Leader. Challenges of that kind against party leaders is not usually successful. So that does speak to his ability to play the game.

: Me too.... (none / 0) (#63)
by kdog on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 12:09:47 PM EST

Paterson doesn't have the fould law&order stench of Spitzer...this may well be a big improvement.

Disappointing (none / 0) (#1)
by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:04:32 AM EST

Why the hell is he quitting when Larry Craig and David Vitter are still in the Senate?

Because (5.00 / 2) (#9)
by squeaky on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:27:27 AM EST

When the GOP takes someone down they tie the package up so tight that there is no way out. Kinda like how the mob does it.

I think that they had him on the hook for some time.


TPM reported this AM, from a WaPo article (none / 0) (#58)
by scribe on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 11:26:02 AM EST

that the FBI had been tailing him on a previous trip to DC, but missed him having any actionable activity; his own personal security detail also missed the FBI.


: FBI (none / 0) (#60)
by eric on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 11:30:41 AM EST

The FBI following a Democratic Governor waiting for him to hire a prostitute?
No politics here.

: Hmmm (none / 0) (#62)
by squeaky on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 11:34:58 AM EST

Maybe they were off duty, cough cough, when Spitzer hooked up.
Or investigating Gannon? Fair is fair.

Because it's necessary (none / 0) (#2)
by miked on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:10:18 AM EST

Unlike them, he is putting the interests of his party above his own desire to hang on to power. We don't need this to be a major news item for the next several months.

Public advocacy of a certain moral code while privately violating it is one thing - putting people in jail for something while doing it privately is another.

I just don't see any upside to our party's prospects if Spitzer stays in office. It's not like he is being replaced by a Republican.


Hmm (none / 0) (#4)
by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:16:54 AM EST

Beg your pardon, but Republican legislators do far more than "advocate" their (phony, bullsh*t) moral code. They ram it down our throats far more than any one prosecutor can do.


I should add (none / 0) (#5)
by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:19:50 AM EST

You're right on the merits, of course. But they're just flexing their "yes, we are wiretapping you all" muscles and I really don't like the precedent set by letting them claim scalps this way.

It's only going to get worse as November draws closer.


You need (none / 0) (#20)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:39:57 AM EST

to realize that Spitzer co-authored the 2001 bill in NY that allowed warrantless wiretapping.


Okay (none / 0) (#72)
by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 04:48:50 PM EST

So you're saying the FBI started tapping his phone because they suspected the Mann Act was being violated?

Yeah, I'll buy that for a dollar.


: Comment misplaced (none / 0) (#74)
by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 04:57:57 PM EST

oops

Spitzer was a rare sort of Democrat (none / 0) (#10)
by eric on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:28:25 AM EST

I just don't see any upside to our party's prospects if Spitzer stays in office. It's not like he is being replaced by a Republican.

The problem is you don't get an Eliot Spitzer Democrat very often. He had potential. He was a legitimate threat to the corrupt moneyed interests. That is why they took him down.

Sure, we'll still have a Democrat as the Governor of New York. But it's not Eliot Spitzer. Not even close. And now the message has been sent. If you are a strong Democrat that will challenge the rich and powerful, and you have some success at it, you will be watched until you make a mistake. Then you will go down. Just like Spitzer.


He took (none / 0) (#22)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:40:49 AM EST

himself down. Did someone hold a gun to his head and make him purchase the services of a pro?


: Hold A Gun To His Head? (1.00 / 1) (#69)
by squeaky on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 01:34:51 PM EST

Sometimes law and order types like handcuffs too, from what I have heard.

: I'm not implying Spitzer used/uses Viagra (none / 0) (#30)
by ding7777 on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:50:11 AM EST

but somewhere down the road there is a defense lawyer who will make that claim

: He did make it easy for them... (none / 0) (#36)
by ineedalife on Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:53:43 AM EST

but with them hunting him, if it wasn't this, it ev