No charges will be filed against Eliot Spitzer for his participation in a prostitution ring. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said that investigators found no evidence that Mr. Spitzer or his office misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. Federal prosecutors typically don’t prosecute clients of prostitution rings.

I suppose losing your job, your career, and being publicly humiliated is punishment enough. But couldn’t they at least have made him pick up trash in Central Park for 80 hours?

Spitzer’s statement was apologetic:

I appreciate the impartiality and thoroughness of the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I acknowledge and accept responsibility for the conduct it disclosed. I resigned my position as Governor because I recognized that conduct was unworthy of an elected official. I once again apologize for my actions.

Anybody want to set the odds for a Spitzer 2012 comeback? Lieberman-Spitzer could lead the Excommunication Party.

Prosecutors Won’t Charge Spitzer in Prostitution Scandal [WSJ]

1. Playgirl Magazine invites Spitzer to pose: If Eliot Spitzer weren’t the scion of a super-rich New York real estate family, maybe he would take Playgirl up on this offer.
2. Ashley Alexandra Dupre was 17 in “Girls Gone Wild” videos: Quips our tipster of Joe Francis, “And he thought he saved $1M…”
Open Playgirl Casting Call to Eliot Spitzer [Playgirl Magazine Blog]
Attorney: Spitzer escort was 17 in ‘Wild’ videos [AP]

If you have Eliot Spitzer fatigue, stop reading here. If not, feel free to continue.
The Spitzer scandal raised this question: How are lawyers like prostitutes? It’s an admittedly groan-worthy joke, fit to be told by an inebriated guest at a local bar association dinner. But maybe there are a few insights to be gleaned from comparing the learned profession to the oldest profession. For brief musings, see our column in this week’s Observer.
Additional Spitzer whore news, from the AP:

Stop that $1 million check: It turns out the call girl linked to Eliot Spitzer had already shed her clothes for “Girls Gone Wild” as an 18-year-old while partying in Miami, Florida, the video company’s founder said Tuesday.

Upon learning that Ashley Alexandra Dupre was already in his company’s archives, Joe Francis revoked his $1 million offer for her to appear in a non-nude spread for his company’s new magazine.
But shed no tears for “Kristen.” As Rachel Sklar reports over at Eat the Press, the sultry songstress has earned a small fortune — definitely six figures, possibly seven — from online downloads of her music. She also has offers to pose for Penthouse and Hustler that could yield a million-dollar payday.
Big Law and Big Pimpin’ Together at Last [New York Observer]
Millionaire Call Girl? Spitzer’s Hooker Rakes In A Fortune Online From Her Music [Eat the Press / Huffington Post]

We just came back from meeting a friend for drinks at the Mayflower Hotel, here in Washington, DC. We expressed a desire to see the door of the infamous room where New York Governor Eliot Spitzer got it on with that high-class hooker, “Kristen.” But we’d heard, on the radio, that the hotel had stationed a guard on the eighth floor, to prevent gawkers from walking past the notorious room 871 (just as travelers have besieged the Minneapolis airport bathroom made famous by Senator Larry Craig).
As it turned out, we were in luck. Our friend was staying at the Mayflower — on the eighth floor, conveniently enough. So we were able to make our way up there without any problem.
When we got up there, we didn’t see a guard; perhaps the guard was removed after the initial frenzy died down. But we did notice the hotel had removed the “871″ nameplate, presumably to prevent scandal-tourists like ourselves from taking photographs of it.
Correction: It appears that the “871″ room number wasn’t removed by the hotel, but was stolen.
So all we can give you are photos of (1) the door to room no. 871, and (2) the marks where the nameplate used to be. Check them out, after the jump.

Continue reading “ATL Field Trip: Room 871 of the Mayflower Hotel”

Here’s the latest crazy Eliot Spitzer rumor we’ve heard. In the past few days, there has been a torrent of Spitzer coverage, so we apologize if it has surfaced elsewhere. But we don’t recall coming across this tidbit already, and our Google News and Technorati searches for “spitzer lick” came up… clean.
This comes from a reliable ATL tipster, whose true identity is known to us, and who has given us good info in the past. But the tipster is two degrees removed from the young woman who allegedly interacted with Governor Spitzer, so apply whatever gossip discount factor you deem appropriate. Here it is:

[A friend of a friend is] a Swiss-Brazilian girl who went to D.C. to f**k Spitzer over the summer. Apparently he’s been up to this for awhile.

Apparently, his dirty request is for girls to lick his ass. Which seems peculiarly apropos. And he wanted to get his wife in on the action. My friend thought his wife might have known, but wasn’t sure.

Sounds pretty incredible, right? But the notion of New York’s governor patronizing prostitutes would have sounded pretty incredible too, prior to Monday. If you can buy the notion of a sitting governor hiring hookers, why can’t you imagine him sitting on their faces?
Also, our source claims to have heard about it three weeks ago, well before the scandal became public. At the time, he says, he “thought it was bogus.” Little did he know.
It’s hard to believe that Governor Spitzer thought he could keep his patronage of prostitutes secret for long, given his political prominence. As we heard someone quip on a talk radio show a few days ago, “Does he really believe that prostitutes don’t read newspapers?”
Update: Comment of the day:

The tipster forgot to mention that he made the girls wear AIG T-Shirts when they had to slobber up.

Posted by: silda wall | March 13, 2008 03:31 PM

There are a few things we could write about right now, but let’s just talk about what everyone is talking about: New York’s prostitute-patronizing governor, Eliot Spitzer. Here’s a fresh thread for discussion (since the old one is already a comments clusterf**k).
From the New York Times (which broke the story):

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who gained national prominence relentlessly pursuing Wall Street wrongdoing, has been caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington hotel last month, according to a law enforcement official and a person briefed on the investigation.

The wiretap captured a man identified as Client 9 on a telephone call confirming plans to have a woman travel from New York to Washington, where he had reserved a hotel room, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Manhattan. The person briefed on the case and the law enforcement official identified Mr. Spitzer as Client 9.

Mr. Spitzer, a first term Democrat, today made a brief public appearance during which he apologized for his behavior, and described it as a “private matter.” He did not address his political future.

For a legal gossip blogger, this is huge: a highly pedigreed lawyer (and former state attorney general), who once had a blindingly bright political future, caught in a prostitution scandal. It would be tough to make this more juicy. Maybe a three-way with Rodge Cohen?
P.S. Bonus question, posed by Lawrence Hurley: Did Governor Spitzer violate the Mann Act?
Update: More details from the FBI affidavit (via MSNBC):

“Kristen” was sent to room 871, which Client 9 was leaving ajar; Client 9 wanted to be reminded of what she looked like and was told “American, petite, very pretty brunette, five feet five inches, and 105 pounds.”

Apparently the session went from 9:36 p.m. [on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day,] when “Kristen” arrived in the room, until 12:02 a.m., although it appears she waited a bit for Client 9.

“Kristen” said the appointment went “very well.”

“Kristen” said “that she liked him and did not think he was difficult.” She collected $4,300 from Client 9.

CNN reports that this $4,300 reflected money Spitzer owed from prior to be applied toward other visits. But escorts who worked for the Emperor’s Club — not to be confused with the heartwarming Kevin Kline film, by the way — did charge hourly rates well into the four-figures. Biglaw partners, eat your hearts out — $1,000 is chump change to these ladies.

“Kristen” and her bosses in New York also discussed Client 9′s sexual preferences and whether he had asked “you to do things that, like, you might not think were safe.”

“Kristen” appears to have been OK with whatever went on in Room 871. “Kristen” stayed overnight in D.C. and took the train back to New York the next day.

Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring [New York Times]
Did Gov. Spitzer Violate the Mann Act? [Washington Briefs]