Governor Spitzer Paid $80,000 for Hookers?

By Pamela Mortimer

As a return customer to the Emperors Club VIP, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has spent tens of thousands of dollars on high priced prostitutes. An unnamed source estimates Spitzer’s indiscretions cost the disgraced official up to $80,000 since he began using the service in 2002.

Not surprisingly, Spitzer is considering tendering his resignation but there have been no plans to hold a press conference for that specific purpose. Many expected Spitzer to resign to the New York General Assembly on Monday night, but it didn’t happen.

Spitzer may be giving in to the pressure, however. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal cited an insider as saying the governor may resign as soon as Tuesday evening. If Spitzer chooses not to resign in the face of this scandal, New York Republicans plan to seek to the governor’s impeachment. According to New York Assembly Republican Leader James Tedisco, the Republicans are giving Spitzer 48 hours to step down.

In an appearance on Monday’s "Hannity & Colmes", Tedisco said, "We believe it is an illegal activity he has been involved with.

"We're going to give him 24 to 48 hours to do the right thing, and the right thing is to resign because he has been compromised. If that's not the case ... we're going to ask the speaker to start impeachment proceedings," Tedisco said.

An unnamed law enforcement official reported that Spitzer first came to the attention of authorities when banks noticed frequent transfers from several different accounts, including Spitzer’s account as well as the Emperors Club, and filed suspicious activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service. The activity prompted the investigation that soon followed.

Because of this red flag, Spitzer became the initial target of the investigation and his moves were tracked via court-ordered wire taps. The wire taps were key in that they allegedly recorded him making arrangements with a prostitute to meet him at a Washington hotel in mid-February.

Spitzer allegedly paid for the call girl, "Kristen" to travel to Washington from New York to Washington on the train. It was that move that opened the scandal up to federal prosecution because the prostitute crossed state lines, which is part of the criteria in a federal case. As of Tuesday, the governor has not been charged and prosecutors are declining to comment on the case. A spokesman for Spitzer reported that the governor has retained a large Manhattan law firm regarding the allegations.