NYT Details of the Spitzer Inquiry (Not flattering to Spitzer or comforting to conspiracy theorists)

[BurtWorm]

Take it for what it's worth. According to the story, the investigation started when the IRS wanted to know why Spitzer was depositing thousands of dollars in the bank accounts of corporations typically fronting laundering operations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/nyregion/11inquire.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

...

The investigators working out of the three-story office building, which faces Veterans Highway, typically review such reports, the officials said. But this was not typical: transactions by a governor who appeared to be trying to conceal the source, destination or purpose of the movement of thousands of dollars in cash, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The money ended up in the bank accounts of what appeared to be shell companies, corporations that essentially had no real business.

The transactions, officials said, suggested possible financial crimes — maybe bribery, political corruption, or something inappropriate involving campaign finance. Prostitution, they said, was the furthest thing from the minds of the investigators.

Soon, the I.R.S. agents, from the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, were working with F.B.I. agents and federal prosecutors from Manhattan who specialize in political corruption.

...

Then, with the assistance of a confidential informant, a young woman who had worked previously as a prostitute for the Emperor’s Club V.I.P., the escort service that Mr. Spitzer was believed to be using, the investigators were able to get a judge to approve wiretaps on the cellphones of some of those suspected of involvement in the escort service.

The wiretaps, along with the records of bank accounts held in the names of the shell companies, revealed a world of prostitutes catering to wealthy men. At the center was the Emperor’s Club, which arranged “dates” with more than 50 beautiful young women in New York, Paris, London, Miami and Washington.

...

[Redstone]

1. I don't imagine it would be so for either of those groups of people.

What a disappointing disaster, right there.

Redtone

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. K&R

It is what it is. Another slimey politician thinking he can get away with what the rest of us cannot.

[BurtWorm]

3. kick

[mac2]

4. You mean patriots who want to know what is going on

in their country by the criminals who run it?

[BurtWorm]

5. Sure. That's what I mean.

Patriots for Procurers.

:patriot:

[defendandprotect]

6. And we're talking about a former DA . . . an investigator . . . !!!

[fujiyama]

7. Argghh! I want to wring his neck or smack him upside the head!

That's some shady stuff he pulled. What a dumbass!

I remember reading articles about him several years ago in various magazines and he sounded like the real deal. This is a real disappointment.

[JI7]

8. i think he was/is the real deal

when it comes to protecting the people against corrupt business practices.

that's what makes this so disappointing and frustrating.

and the thought he might go to prison for this and just how the whole thing will play out in the media. and then he has 3 daughters. what they are going through and how he might miss oout on some years of their life and they will all be in college when he gets out.

[BigDaddy44]

16. Just don't offer to smack his ass

He might like that a little too much........

[Medusa]

21. I kept hoping yesterday his wife would backhand him one

:eyes:

[0007]

22. I Thought he was the real deal. And ready to be president of the US.

Spitzer was plain stupid. What an idiot!! He flushed himself down the toilet.

[BurtWorm]

9. kick

[Solly Mack]

10. K&R

[FreeJoe]

11. Good Riddance

One of the biggest reasons that I switched to be being a Democrat was the fear of Republican's abuse of powers. Spitzer was another abuser. He did it for good causes, but he was still way outside my comfort zone as an AG.

It's sad to see a person's life ruined, especially by stupid personal mistakes. Still, I'm glad that he and his "ends justify any means" approach will no longer be a power in our party.

[Celebration]

24. I agree he went too far

He was obsessive, willing to do anything, to get what he wanted. He irony is that he went after people's private lives to fight public corruption. He was insane with power.

Huh. Exactly the type personality to get himself involved with something like this.

I am certainly glad he was caught.

Hypocrites like this don't really deserve sympathy. His family has my sympathy.

[Perry Logan]

12. I think it was done to kill the abortion rights bill he was promoting.

[onenote]

28. he ordered up a hooker from NY to kill an abortion bill?

Put down the bong.

[EFerrari]

13. It makes you wonder who the other nine guys were.

What a terrible waste. I guess you don't wake up one morning and think, today I'm going to do something so stupid, it's going to ruin my career and hurt my family horribly. :(

[BurtWorm]

14. And incidentally hurt the Democratic Party in New York, hurt New York

It seems like there are good reasons to be angry with Spitzer regardless of party affiliation. I think Dems have more reason to be angry than Repubs though.

[EFerrari]

15. New York state seems to be sort of a mess.

A former AG was on the Squawk Box rattling off the titles of former state officials in jail and current ones who are charged with crimes. At least six of them. She didn't cite party affiliations, though.

[Dorian Gray]

18. Sadly

we are a bit of a mess right now, and I think that is why this angers us so much. It's such an abuse of his power, and for those of us who supported him during his election, it feels like a slap in the face. It's so disappointing, especially when we put so much hope into him. :(

[BurtWorm]

23. It is almost hopelessly corrupt. Politics is totally money-driven here.

You get what you pay for from this fucking state.

[Junkdrawer]

17. Well, there you go. Concern over domestic spying = "conspiracy theorist"...

You got me.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

19. So, the feds misrepresented what they really wanted the warrants for?

Did the feds tell the court they wanted the warrants to investigate the escort service when, in fact, they were going after Spitzer on a widely speculative suspicion?

Is that what I am reading here?

:shrug:

[HamdenRice]

20. Spitzer may have been funding NY Dem takeover

The timing is very suspicious:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2988882

[BurtWorm]

25. Your points are very well taken.

I still think Spitzer should get out of the way. But I see what you mean by suspicious timing.

[Jennicut]

26. We ahve had our own troubles here in CT but Spitzer's was worse

That what Roland did. Everyone knew Roland was a prick and corrupt before he even got in office. But Spitzer falling from grace is extremely dissapointing.

[Beetwasher]

27. This Raises MORE Questions About How & Why The Feds Got Involved

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/11/51123/3435/851/474082

[donkeyotay]

30. Great link.

Because frankly, that suggests a return to the bad old days where one of the major activities of the FBI was gathering dirt on every politician in Washington (not to mention civil rights leaders and others who had somehow run afoul of J. Edgar Hoover), which was then used to intimidate them politically. And that's much more disturbing to me than Elliot Spitzer's tawdry, and apparently very expensive, personal life.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

29. So the prostitution wiretapping started AFTER Spitzer's bank records were scrutinized, not

BEFORE?

This article makes me wonder whether the IRS was monitoring a list of prominent Democratic politicians (excluding most Republicans), or whether it was monitoring a list of shell corporations of undetermined ppolitical leanings, or both.

It also makes me wonder whether every lead uncovered on a Republican pol doing the same thing as Spitzer was dropped, for fear the Bush/Gonzales/Rove Justice Dept would fire prosecutors as they have in the past for political reasons.