NEW YORK-New York’s embroiled governor resigned minutes ago after a federal wiretap recorded him soliciting a high-priced prostitute last month.
“I’m deeply sorry I did not live up to what was expected of me,” Gov. Eliot Spitzer said with his wife by his side. “I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work.”
He promised to help heal himself and his family before returning to public life.
News of the charges led to an international media frenzy this week and calls for his resignation, who will leave the job Monday, aides said.
A federal wiretap captured a telephone call from a man identified as “Client 9,” planning a meeting with a prostitute, according to the Associated Press. An anonymous law enforcement officer identified Spitzer as the man who paid $4,300 in cash to have sex with a “petite, pretty brunette, 5-feet-5 inches, and 105 pounds” named Kristen at a hotel in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 13.
Spitzer’s attorneys are busy negotiating a plea deal for him, CNN reported shortly before the announcement.
Standing next to his wife of 20 years Monday, Spitzer apologized to his family and to the state.
“I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family, and violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong,” he said. “I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what’s best for the state of New York.”
“I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family. I will report back to you in short order,” he continued. The investigation into the call-girl service Emperors Club VIP was said to have begun as a tax inquiry about a year ago by the Internal Revenue Service, according to the AP. The analysis gathered telephone calls, e-mails and text-messages in addition to bank, travel and hotel records, but it is uncertain if Spitzer was being targeted in the initial stages of the investigation.
According to investigators, the ring has made over $1 million by selling the services of women. The Emperors Club is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and advertises prostitutes who cost between $1,000 to $5,000 an hour.
The AP reported that it is unclear whether or not Spitzer will face charges for his involvement in the ring.
Spitzer, who was inaugurated 16 months ago, entered office aiming to target corruption within New York government. However, according to the AP, his term has been marked by turmoil and corruption with some questioning the future of his term as governor.
Cornell University professor Elizabeth Sanders, government, said that she was “shocked” to hear news of the Spitzer’s involvement in the scandal.
“[It is] just appalling that Spitzer would sacrifice his political career,” Sanders said. “Sometimes politicians forget [and] think they are invulnerable” causing them to commit what she referred to as “delusions of grandeur.”
Before he was governor, Spitzer — the father of three — served as New York Attorney General. In that role, he brought down two prostitution rings and gained a reputation as a hard-hitting, ethical prosecutor.
Spitzer was known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street” throughout his two terms as attorney general, examining suspicious corporate practices and investigating stock brokerage and insurance agencies.
Early Monday, several news organizations reported that Spitzer would resign before retracting the story, and late Monday night, other outlets such as 1010 WINS and WNBC said he had already drafted his letter of resignation. But in the press conference, he stopped at apologizing and made no mention of leaving office. He took no questions, saying he did not intend to speak again on the topic.
NYU politics professor Anna Harvey foresaw immediate consequences for Spitzer.
“There’s a decent probability that he would resign,” she said. “When you set yourself up as a politician whose identity is linked to ending corruption in government, including prosecuting prostitution rings, if you yourself have been caught, there’s decent probability that you will have to resign.”
Spitzer’s resignation could have consequences in this election, too. Spitzer had already endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in her bid for the presidency. If Spitzer resigns, he would lose his status as a superdelegate in the Democratic presidential primary. This has the potential to affect Clinton’s campaign in the tight race with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
THE NEXT GOVERNOR
Lt. Governor David Paterson will likely replace Spitzer. He would be the fourth black governor in the U.S. and the first ever in New York. He would also be the nation’s first blind governor.
Patterson is an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a former Democratic state senator from West Harlem.
Sen. Bill Perkins (D-West Harlem), Paterson’s friend and successor as West Harlem state senator, called the possible transition of power to Paterson’s hands an opportunity “that will guide this ship of state through these rocky waters.”
Paterson, now 53, inherited deep roots in New York politics from his family. His father, Basil Paterson, was West Harlem’s state senator in the 1960s and later became New York secretary of state. The elder Paterson was also essential to founding the “Harlem Clubhouse,” which has dominated local politics since the 1960s, along with Congressman Charles Rangel (D-Harlem), former mayor and now SIPA professor David Dinkins, and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton. Basil Paterson also ran for lieutenant governor, but not with the success his son would have years later.
David Paterson’s achievements have also been recognized outside of the political realm. Last year, the University honored him as a notable Columbia College alumnus with a John Jay award. In his acceptance speech, he reflected nostalgically on his alma mater and joked about his college days. “When I finally graduated,” he said, “there were people there who graduated summa cum laude, there were people there … who graduated magna cum laude, there were people who found so many other things to do at Columbia than study, that we graduated Thank You Laude.”
Several years after graduation, Paterson began to follow in his father’s footsteps as a neighborhood political activist. In 1985, he was elected to represent West Harlem in the New York State Senate and by 2002 became the first non-white minority leader. Spitzer sought out Paterson to be his running mate in his 2006 gubernatorial bid, and after soundly defeating their Republican opponents, they were sworn into their positions in January 2007.
Paterson’s political successes are especially impressive considering that he has transcended the limitations of a physical disability. Although the lieutenant governor is legally blind, colleagues and supporters praise him for seeing in ways few other politicians can.
“One thing you’ll notice when David Paterson speaks to you, he looks you directly in the eye. And you don’t even know that he’s blind when you first start speaking to him,” SIPA professor Esther Fuchs said. “He’s just sort of an extraordinary listener. He engages with people. There’s an optimistic world view, an amazingly pragmatic approach to getting the job done, and a man who people like and trust.”
Spitzer submitted a statement to University President Lee Bollinger for the 2007 John Jay Awards commending Paterson’s moral compass. “Throughout his historic role in various levels of elected office, Lt. Gov. Paterson has truly upheld your institution’s overall philosophy of excellence, having realized many accomplishments while maintaining personal integrity and an outstandi
ng record of leadership. David Paterson not only embodies the positive character that is the hallmark of all Columbia graduates, but has gone on to succeed in so many areas of public life.”
Spitzer’s assessment was readily corroborated by Paterson’s peers.
“This is not a prosecutor or somebody who sees himself as ethically superior or morally superior than anybody else, you know,” Fuchs said, comparing Paterson to Spitzer. “He’s obviously got strong sense of public service, strong ethics, strong morals, and he doesn’t preach. So, you know, really, really dramatically different.”
State political pundit Gerald Benjamin, GSAS ’68 and ’70, said that Spitzer has lost his moral authority and “has no chance to survive” politically. Benjamin is inclined to believe that the governor will indeed resign, so that Paterson will take control.
Although he asserted Paterson’s commitment to the varying interests of his constituents, Benjamin noted that the lieutenant governor “knows Columbia. He knows its needs. That could certainly be sympathetic to Columbia.”
Various wire reports were used for this story: Betsy Morais of the Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia U.); Kate Thuma of Washington Square News (NYU); and Emily Cohn of the Cornell Daily Sun (Cornell U.).
