No surprises here -- Gov. Spitzer involved in prostitution ring

He's had his fair share of controversies since becoming governor, but this scandal could be the beginning of the end for him:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.

Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides inside his Fifth Avenue apartment early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He had scheduled an announcement for 2:15 this afternoon after inquiries from the Times. But his appearance was delayed by at least 45 minutes.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.

Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.

But 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.

And FOX News is reporting that Spitzer is going to resign, and he's been indicted in this scandal:

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been indicted and is expected to resign from office following news reports that he was linked to a high-profile prostitution ring, sources told FOX News Monday.

Spitzer scheduled an abrupt announcement from his office as news reports were breaking that the governor told staffers about his involvement. ...

The New York Sun reports that the investigation was run by U.S. attorneys who not only were probing individuals linked to the ring, but who are part of the federal public corruption unit that investigates wrongdoing by elected and unelected officials.

Word in the 'Sphere is that he'll announce his resignation at 7 PM EST, and that Lt. Governor David Paterson will be sworn in afterwards. This man supposedly was an anti-corruption crusader that was the bane of Wall Street, and high profile criminals alike. While we didn't pay all that much attention to his "lofty" career, we knew he was incredibly liberal, and stood for a number of things that the average person detested.

We also know that he's a superdelegate supposedly in the bank for Hillary. Looks like she's going to need to find a replacement as we're sure Mr. Spitzer won't be attending the convention in Denver unless he's in handcuffs, and under the guard of US federal marshals.

Publius II

UPDATE: Over at Hot Air Allah is none too pleased with FOX. First, there was no resignation at the presser, though Neil Cavuto says it will come later today. Secondly, thanks to FOX's sloppy reporting, it's now being confirmed that Spitzer isn't indicted. He is merely named as a "john" in the indictment against the prostitution ringleaders. Way to go FOX. That's the way to beat the competition.

Publius II