Spitzer resigns in wake of prostitution scandal
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(AP) - Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace Wednesday after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."
Spitzer made the announcement without having finalized a plea deal with federal prosecutors, though a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said he is believed to still be negotiating one. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
"I go forward with the belief, as others have said, that as human beings our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall," Spitzer said at a Manhattan news conference with his wife, Silda, at his side.
He left without answering questions.
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"I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work."
Spitzer will be replaced, effective Monday, by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who becomes New York's first black governor. He will be the state's first legally blind governor and its first disabled governor since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The scandal erupted Monday when allegations surfaced that the 48-year-old father of three teen daughters spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine's Day.
Spitzer was more composed than he was earlier in the week, when he apologized for an undisclosed personal failing and looked pale, drawn and glassy-eyed. His wife took deep breaths as each of Spitzer's words was accompanied by a rush of camera clicks.
"I look at my time as governor with a sense of what might have been," Spitzer said.
The announcement followed two days of furious activity. Calls for his resignation came immediately. Republicans began talking impeachment if he didn't step aside.
The case started when banks noticed frequent cash transfers from several accounts and filed suspicious activity reports with the Internal Revenue Service, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The accounts were traced back to Spitzer, leading public corruption investigators to open an inquiry.
Law enforcement officials said he was the person identified as "Client 9" in court papers who paid thousands for a night in a Washington hotel with a prostitute named Kristen. According to an affidavit, a federal judge approved wiretaps on the phones of the escort service in January and February.
Investigators found that during the Washington tryst, Spitzer used two rooms at the Mayflower Hotel -- one for himself, the other for the call girl. Sometime around 10 p.m. on Feb. 13, Spitzer sneaked away from his security detail and made his way to her room, a law enforcement official said.
The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Spitzer has not been charged in the case.
In a statement issued after the announcement, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said there was no deal with the fallen governor.
"There is no agreement between this office and Governor Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter," said Garcia.
Spitzer, a first-term Democrat, built his political reputation on rooting out government corruption, and made a name for himself as attorney general as crusader against shady practices and overly generous compensation. He also cracked down on prostitution.
He was known as the "Sheriff of Wall Street." Time magazine named him "Crusader of the Year," and the tabloids proclaimed him "Eliot Ness."
The square-jawed graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law was sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for president.
He rode into the governor's office with a historic margin of victory on Jan. 1, 2007, vowing to stamp out corruption in New York government in the same way that he took on Wall Street executives with a vengeance while state attorney general.
His term as governor has been fraught with problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear his main Republican nemesis. The prostitution scandal, some said, was too much to overcome.
Barely known outside of his Harlem political base, Paterson, 53, has been in New York government since his election to the state Senate in 1985. He led the Democratic caucus in the Senate before running with Spitzer as his No. 2.
Though legally blind, Paterson has enough sight in his right eye to walk unaided, recognize people at conversational distance and even read if text is placed close to his face. While Spitzer is renowned for his abrasive style, Paterson has built a reputation as a conciliator.
At a morning news conference, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Spitzer's chief rival, said he had not yet heard from the governor but that he was moving on with the business of the state. Lawmakers were set to vote on budget bills Wednesday afternoon.
"We are going to partner with the lieutenant governor when he becomes governor," said Bruno. "David has always been very open with me, very forthright ... I look forward to a positive, productive relationship."
Bruno, though the next highest-ranking official, does not become lieutenant governor upon Paterson's ascension to governor.
The lieutenant governor's office would remain vacant until the next general election in 2010 under state law. However, whenever Paterson is out of state or if he were to become incapacitated, Bruno would be acting governor.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
