Spitzer's sex scandal
Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:24 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
States, Democrats
The New York Times reports, “Gov. Eliot Spitzer continued to weigh whether to resign Tuesday, a day after law enforcement officials said he was a client of a high-end prostitution ring broken up last week by federal authorities. Mr. Spitzer was receiving counsel from his advisers late Monday at his Fifth Avenue apartment, and had not emerged as of early Tuesday morning.”
The New York Times editorial page stopped just short of calling for his resignation. “He did not just betray his family in a private matter. He betrayed the public, and it is hard to see how he will recover from this mess and go on to lead the reformist agenda on which he was elected to office.”
Per WNBC's Jay Dedapper, multiple New York Democratic Senate and Assembly sources say Eliot Spitzer WILL resign soon, certainly by the end of the week. They say a transition team is already in the process of being assembled, and several judges have been approached about presiding over a swearing-in ceremony. The sources say Spitzer has been urged to step down "for the good of the party.”
Dedapper also notes how the succession might occur: Spitzer can resign and Lt. Gov. David Paterson then has the option of agreeing to be sworn in as governor. There would be no special election and no replacement for lieutenant governor -- instead Spitzer's archrival, GOP Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, becomes acting lieutenant governor (and remains Senate majority leader).
Should Paterson become governor, he would serve out the remainder of Spitzer's term, which would preclude him from his true desire -- being appointed to fill out the remainder of Hillary Clinton's term in the US Senate should she be elected president. That's because the governor can't appoint himself to fill out a US Senate term. But there's a "workaround": Paterson has the option of resigning as governor and, as long as he does so more than 90 days before the general election (November 4), that triggers a special election for both governor and lieutenant governor. Then a new (presumably Democratic) governor could appoint Paterson to Clinton's seat (if it's vacant).
The New York Post’s cover: Ho no! and
The New York Daily News’ cover with a somber, teary-eyed governor, dubs Spitzer: “Pay for luv gov.” Subheadline: “Life in ruins as he’s trapped in high-class hooker sting.”