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Thread: New York governor resigns for involving in "prostitution ring"

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[quote=MARRIE,275897]Not since the Monica Lewinsky affair have Americans enjoyed so mesmerising a spectacle of a powerful politician laid low by seemingly inexplicable lust.

The ineffably sleazy case of the “Luv Guv” and his pneumatic tart has all the elements of tragedy as well as farce: a crushed wife standing by her man (at least temporarily); frightened teenaged daughters hidden from public view; a smirking brunette ready to cash in on her amorous adventures; and a parade of psychologists, therapists and – in Spitzer’s case – former hookers lining up to explain why men are so stupid.

Yet in one key respect, Spitzer’s self-inflicted ordeal differs from the Monica extravaganza that stained Bill Clinton’s presidency as severely as it did her blue velvet dress.

There are intriguing reports in New York that the man who was once dubbed Eliot Ness – after the “untouchable” FBI crime-buster – may have owed his fall at least in part to the bankers he once pursued with ruthless moral zeal.

Was the governor a victim of Wall Street’s revenge? “Only one thing is certain – it’s an Eliot mess,” declared one former prosecutor.

As the Grasso investigation unfolded in the summer of 2004, it became clear to reporters following the case that Spitzer’s team was interested in more than financial matters. Aides in the attorney-general’s office hinted that Grasso was having an affair with his secretary, Soo-Jee Lee; Grasso was also questioned about whether he had fathered an illegitimate child.

Charles Gasparino, a television reporter who wrote a book on the Grasso case, claims he was told by a Spitzer adviser: “Everyone knows Grasso was boning Soo-Jee.” Grasso vehemently denied both allegations, but the message was clear to all of Wall Street: Spitzer would stop at nothing once he had taken on a case. He even described himself as “a f****** bulldozer”.

While many outside Wall Street applauded Spitzer for tackling murky insider trading, his readiness to delve into his targets’ private lives magnified the hostility towards him. Last week there was no doubting the financial world’s glee at his fall.

One of his victims, Kenneth Langone, the founder of Home Depot superstores, bluntly condemned Spitzer as a “hypocrite”, and added: “We all have our private hell. I hope his private hell is hotter than anyone else’s.”

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