The New York Times reports that 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.
The New York Times broke the news at 2:08 p.m., and in less than 12 minutes, readers sent more than 140 comments reacting to the scoop.
More than 260 at 2:33 p.m.
More than 440 at 2:58 p.m.
More than 700 at 3:15 p.m.
More than 1,380 at 5:32 p.m.
More than 1,850 at 8:30 p.m.
“Mr. Clean” prosecuted many crooks, and now he is one of them!
Time magazine had named him “Crusader of the Year” when he was attorney general and the tabloids proclaimed him “Eliot Ness.”
In June 2005, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson hailed Eliot Spitzer as “the future of the (Democratic) party.”
Personal Data from About.com:
Birth – June 10, 1959 in the Bronx, New York City.
Education – BA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs; JD from Harvard Law School where he was Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Family – Married, 3 teenage daughters. His wife, Silda, a Harvard Law School graduate, is founder of Children for Children, which helps children volunteer to benefit other children.
Faith – Jewish.
Hobbies – Tennis, squash, jogs each morning around Central Park.
The New York Times said in a recent prostitution ring story:
Federal authorities arrested four people Thursday on charges of running an online prostitution ring that serviced clients in New York, Paris and other cities and took in more than $1 million in profits over four years.
The ring, known as the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., had 50 prostitutes available for appointments in New York, Washington, Miami, London and Paris, according to a complaint unsealed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
The appointments, made by telephone or through an online booking service, cost $1,000 to $5,500 an hour and could be paid for with cash, credit card, wire transfers or money orders, the complaint said.
And in its City Room blog adds:
A person with knowledge of the governor’s role said that the person believes the governor is one of the men identified as clients in court papers.
The governor’s travel records show that he was in Washington in mid-February.
One of the clients described in court papers arranged to meet with a prostitute who was part of the ring, the Emperors Club VIP, on the night of Feb. 13.
Mr. Spitzer appeared on a CNBC television show at 7 a.m. the next morning.
Later in the morning, he testified before a Congressional committee.
An affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan in connection with that case lists six conversations between the man, identified as Client 9, and a booking agent for the Emperors Club.