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Andrew Zajac
Is it just me or does the complaint implicating New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a frolic with a call girl read like it was written by people with a very large axe to grind with the now former rising star of the Democratic Party?
Charging documents like this one typically contain the absolute minimum necessary to sustain the accusations.
Prosecutors act as though they'd rather be waterboarded than give up anything beyond what they like to call "the four corners of the complaint."
Not to worry. There was journalistic catnip larded throughout the complaint, enough to stoke the media frenzy for days. Of particular note is the heavy involvement of "Kristen", Spitzer' Valentine eve tryst partner. (Helpfully described as "American, petite, very pretty brunette, 5
feet 5 inches, and 105 pounds.)
Client 9, as Spitzer is known has a lengthy star turn in mid-document, 57 mentions in four and half pages -- far longer than nine other clients.
Keep in mind that the point of this part of the complaint is to establish that there had been interstate transport in the furtherance of prostitution. So the complaint documents phone calls from Kristen's handlers to Kristen in New York, mentions her schlep on the train to Washington and lays out a series of phone calls from Spitzer about payment arrangement and hotel logistics.
So where does this existential, post-coital riff by Kristen, speaking to indictee Tameka Rachelle Lewis, in paragraph 85 fit in?
"Kristen" said that she liked him, and
that she did not think he was difficult. "Kristen" stated: 'I
don't think he's difficult. I mean it's just kind of like . . .
whatever. . . I'm here for a purpose. I know what my purpose is.
I am not a . . . moron, you know what I mean. So maybe that's
why girls maybe think they're difficult . . . . " "Kristen"
continued: "That's what it is, because you're here for a
[purpose]. Let's not get it twisted - I know what I do, you
know." LEWIS responded: "You look at it very uniquely, because .
. . no one .ever says it that way." LEWIS continued that from
what she had been told "he" (believed to be a reference to
Client-9) "would ask you to do things that, like, you might not
think were safe - you know - I mean that . . . very basic things.
. . . "Kristen" responded: "I have a way of dealing with that .
. . I'd be like listen dude, you really want the sex? . . . You
know what I mean."
Yeah, conceivably there's some value in broadly hinting at kinky predilections in case Spitzer wants to claim that the financial transactions were unconnected to sex. Maybe it's a warning to him that if he struggles too much, the contents of the sock drawer where the sex toys are stored will be strewn on the carpet.
But it also has the feel of a pile-on -- some payback, a come-uppance for a guy who made a lot of enemies in prosecutions of Wall Street crooks and was seen by some to overplay his hand, to needlessly embarrass his quarry.
Another indicator of an "I'll fix your wagon" flavor to L'Affaire Spitzer is the speed at which the whole thing has unfolded.
The charging affidavit which, remember, doesn't refer to Spitzer by time or other even vague identifier like 'prominent government official', was unsealed last Thursday and by 2 p.m. or so on Monday, when the New York Times posted its first story on the scandal and the governor effectively was toast.
The Times is one of the few news organizations that could keep up with the torrent of news cascading out of the bust, including the entire back story of how the investigation began as an examination of suspicious financial transactions, courtesy of unnamed government sources.
Today's Times main story lists contributions by 26 reporters. That's more bodies than the entire newsroom of a small newspaper.
Comments
Every federal indictment I've ever read has had its share of sizzle in it, you just usually have to search for it.
As far as payback goes, there's a reason a huge cheer went up on Wall Street after Spitz's presser. Spitzer used arcane laws and sometimes little more than investigation innuendo to bring down lots of people on Wall Street. That he's been caught redhanded violating the law has to be very, very satisfying to his former targets.
Posted by: Jeff | March 11, 2008 3:26 PM
Spitzer is a scoundrel who committed a federal crime. He epitomizes hypocrisy and no apologies should be made on his behalf. He's worked in goverment his entire career just where does he get this walking around money?? $4,000 for a night with a prostitute when he probably makes $80,000 a year, I'm sure we have just scratched at the surface of Eliot Spitzer's corruption
Posted by: JB | March 11, 2008 3:28 PM
Of course this is payback.Spitzer ruffled a lot of rich people on Wall St.At some point,this will lead to the Repugnant Party.
Don't mess with their base,the mores and the have mores!
Posted by: Raving Loon | March 11, 2008 4:45 PM
Not defending Spitzer, but in response to JB above - Spitzer HAS NOT spent his entire career in government, he worked for several large corporate law firms (Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps) earlier in his career. Also, his family has quite a bit of money. His father gave him a 4 million dollar loan for his first campaign for NY Attoney General. So while I'm not defending Spitzer, the source of his money isn't that suspicious.
Posted by: Steve | March 11, 2008 4:46 PM
My favorite lines about the subject by Frank James:
This, in turn, got the Internal Revenue Service all perky. Then the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined in the fun.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 11, 2008 4:57 PM
THIS GUY IS A TWO FACED CLINTON SUPPORTER..I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF SLICK WILLY HAD BEN WITH THESE WHORES ALSO, AND HILARY WOULD SPIN IT TO KEEP HER SELF IN THE ELECTIONS, IN FACT, THIS FRAUD IS ANOTHER CLINTON SUPPORTER..MAYBE THIS JEW BELONGS IN PRISON WITH A FEW OF THE PEOPLE HE PROSECUTED, WHY IS HE ANY BETTER..BLACK, WHITE, ETHNIC DOESN'T MATTER, CORRUPT GOVERNMENT OFICIAL ARE AS BAD AS BAD COPS..THEY SHOULD BE TRATED AS THE FELONS THEY ARE
Posted by: BOB | March 11, 2008 6:09 PM
Here we go:
The left will do three things regarding this story (they've apparently already started)
1) Try to make prostitution seem like not that big a deal...perhaps claim we are all hypocrites if we don't want it legalized.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/EJMontini/19063
2) Try to spin it as overzelous people with an axe to grind by continuing with this story, and charges (vast right wing conspiracy if you will)
See above Swamp Posting...thanks Andrew!
3) Demonize whomever the prosecuter is ...a la Ken Starr
Coming soon.
Posted by: JD | March 11, 2008 8:34 PM
Yeah Yeah,,,The guy is in trouble for something that should already be legalized. I think his wife is the only only one who should have an axe to grind. What about the wire tappings to begin with? Strange withdrawals of money? Yikes! Big brother is certainly here!
Posted by: Synaptic | March 11, 2008 11:50 PM
On second thought, this whole sex scandal is beginning to look like a very well planned sting to entrap the governor. Thanks for your article. I was also wondering about all the blabbering by Kristen. Now I understand clearly. It is now obvious that as much it was disguised to not look like a sting, it is actually what it is a STING!!!
Posted by: scogostology.com | March 12, 2008 7:25 AM
Andrew Zajac: "Is it just me or does the complaint implicating New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a frolic with a call girl read like it was written by people with a very large axe to grind with the now former rising star of the Democratic Party?"
It's just you.
Posted by: Jeff H | March 12, 2008 9:11 AM
Republicans, don't make any generalizations about "liberals" or whatever your favorite term is for Democrats. We are not protecting Spitzer nor are we making excuses for him. I'm a die-hard Democrat and here's my take: Spitzer has a severe psychological problem and should not be in office, period. If he was the victim of entrapment, then he certainly was a willing victim.
Men: Your penis is stupid, impetuous, and reckless. Do not trust it.
I can hardly wait til the other Clients are outed.
Posted by: Chicago Girl | March 13, 2008 7:03 PM
Stop this nonsense of whining that prostitution isn't legal. Ever seen the average prostitute ? She's a sorry case. Many are drug addicts, many have diseases. In the Netherlands, a recent study established that 7% of prostitutes are HIV+. Do you want to be the "lucky" guy who gets an HIV+ whore ?
Women who have a choice typically don't choose prostitution. They are doing it because they need the money, whether that need is real (i.e., need to feed a family) or perceived ("Kristen" needs to continue paying the rent in the posh apartment her boyfriend vacated). Prostitutes complain about the men they have to sleep with ... men who don't take care of themselves, who are fat, unclean, ugly, inept in bed ... no wonder they have to pay for sex.
But Emperor's Club goes well beyond the average whorehouse. There, young stupid girls, probably most if not all high school dropouts as "Kristen" was, are advertised as "wordly", "classy", educated, and refined. The stupid men who hired them saw themselves as "Emperors" in an elite club, falling for the fake names and manufactured resumes of the whores. This is not just men paying for sex, this is men thinking that they are god-like, worthy of having the finest (looking, at least) women on the planet and willing to pay thousands per hour for them ... and yet their penny-pinching real selves shine through when you read that "Kristen" was offered the regional Amtrak instead of the more plus Acela, and "Chrissy" had to fly coach between LA and Chicago. These are discriminating women ? They should have insisted on first class, baby.
I'm glad Spitzer is out, and I cannot wait for the other losers' names to be publicized.
Posted by: Sick of this crap | March 13, 2008 7:13 PM
Ex. Gov. Spitzer's crash from grace, dignity, political office and high moral authority is very shocking, disturbing and disorienting to me. What makes it more of a dream than reality is that before becoming the Governor, he was the top law enforcement agent in New York. Then to be caught on tape cavorting with a prostitute is too much to bear. If he was caught sleeping with a member of his staff or just any other woman who is NOT a prostitute, that would not be too shocking. But a prostitute? Why on earth did this happen? This man is rich enough to have as many mistresses as he desires. Why sleep with a hooker??!?!??? I am numbed by shock and embarasment because I liked that guy and had wished to back him up to get into the White House someday. he had the potential for great leadership. This could be the second greatest tragedies to hit New York after 9/11. Now that he is gone, Empire state is stuck with a legally blind replacement, the Lt. Gov., as the new governor, who also admitted having many affairs! How ugly and awful can it get?
New York is going to miss you Mr. Spitzer. New York sure is not going to be the same without you.
Posted by: my.care2.com/scogostology | March 19, 2008 12:37 PM