Monroerising.com

I want to thank Monroerising.com for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts and information on this latest scandal surrounding NY Governor Elliot Spitzer.  I have been following this story and the wide array of coverage closely these past two days and it’s been very interesting to hear and read comments from those who are lining up against the Governor and from those who are supporting Spitzer during this sordid affair.

First, here is a timeline of events from the Associated Press leading up to the newsbreaking story of Spitzer’s involvement with the high priced prostitution ring.

The New York Post also provides very specific details about the encounter, right down to the Governor’s apparent disappointment that he be made to wear a condom.

And now the Associated Press is reporting that Spitzer very well spent up to $80,000 on prostitutes from the Emperors Club VIP.

What I find intriguing is the fact that some people are claiming that this is nothing more than a guy getting caught with a hooker and that any further delving into the issue serves no purpose and we should just leave Spitzer alone to work things out with his family.  Spitzer himself said at his very peculiar press conference that he needed to immediately go and regain the trust of his family.  This turned out to be code for “I need to go hire some very powerful lawyers to get me out of this mess.”

What is lost in these statements is the fact that there are some felony level laws that Spitzer broke as part of his indiscretions:

1. Money Laundering:  The claim is that Governor Spitzer organized and structured the illegal payment plan with the leaders of the prostitution ring with the intention to cover up the payments and his tracks.  The investigation essentially began when Spitzer’s bank contacted federal investigators when they found substantial monetary transactions being made that gave the appearance of potential bribery, extortion, or campaign finance misuses.  Apparently, this is routine practice on such accounts of which the Governor should have been very aware.

2. Human Trafficking:  The claim is that Governor Spitzer participated in the shipping of a person across state lines for the purposes of engaging in prostitution.  Spitzer is caught on the federal wiretaps stating that he will finance the travel, hotel, and personal expenses of the prostitute to travel from New York City to Washington D.C. to meet him at the Mayflower Hotel.  Old tapes of Spitzer effectively warning potential do-badders not to provide prosecutors with obvious documentation of illegal behavior have surfaced, raising questions about the Sheriff of Wall Street heeding his own advice.

Now, the word on the streets of Albany is that Spitzer, who has claimed that he needs to regain the trust of his family and that politics is not about the individual, is hunkered down with his hired legal team of powerful lawyers working out the deal that will trade his Governorship and possibly his license to practice law, for a free ride on the several felony charges he now faces.  That doesn’t sound like someone who is concerned about his family and the public he says put their trust in him.  Right now, it’s all about protecting his own backside.  He’ll probably work on the family and public trust thing later.

Some say he’s already set in motion the process for handing over the office key to Lt. Gov. David Patterson.  I feel really bad for this guy.  Look what he has to inherit and what he needs to overcome in order to rebuild the public trust.  Hopefully, his style is to be less offensive, less aggressive, less verbally abusive and more interested in working on joint solutions, rather than the “take no prisoners” style of our disgraced Governor Spitzer.

Finally, on a side note, I found this neat pic on the AP.  The “unidentified man,” I believe, is Rochester State Assemblyman and Monroe County Democratic political party Chairman, Joe Morelle.  Morelle has effectively said he doesn’t believe discussions of impeachment are warranted.

Tags: Articles, Elliot Spitzer, New York State //