Updated 03/11/2008 09:32 AM
Governor considering his next move
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Governor Eliot Spitzer is figuring out his next moves this morning after being implicated in a scandal involving a prostitution ring.
The story first surfaced in the New York Times Monday afternoon and says Spitzer, named as "Client 9," was caught in a federal wiretap arranging to meet with a high-priced prostitute at a Washington, D.C. hotel last month.
There are still many questions this morning. We do not know if the governor will resign today or what he'll say. He did tell us yesterday he would issue another statement in "short order."
As we've been reporting, Spitzer is consulting with his family and legal advisors. He has hired a top Manhattan defense team, but has not been charged with any crime yet.
We are told by a top Spitzer administration source that there is no indication that Lieutenant Governor David Paterson will immediately take over, but if he does, the expectation is it will be only a private signing of papers before taking the public oath.
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Many top democrats said yesterday they wouldn't issue a comment until Spitzer elaborated more, however the State's GOP commented almost as soon as the news broke.
"We are very, very unfortunate and I feel very badly for the governor’s wife, for his children. The important thing for the people of New York State is that people in office do the right thing because there are so many challenges out there and it's important that we govern, move forward to getting a proper budget in place for the people of this state," said Bruno.
"If it is indeed true, it hasn't shaked down rather it's true or not but from all the reports it does look like the governor was involved in this situation in DC. It really illustrates that it's maybe the answer to some of the questions about a governor who seemed to have a personality that couldn't stick to the agenda and the issues that was most important for the constituents' way of life and creating a better quality of life," Tedisco said.
We'll continue to follow the latest developments for you throughout the day, including a complete recap on Capital Tonight.
This investigation apparently began last year as a financial probe by the Internal Revenue Service. The prostitution ring was first reported last week when four people were charged with running it.
The prostitution ring in question is known as the Emperors Club VIP. Court documents detail phone calls, text messages, bank and travel records and surveillance. Part of that investigation centers on a particular subject, Client 9. A law enforcement source tells the AP that client is Governor Eliot Spitzer.
What we've learned from court documents about Client 9 is that he was a regular customer, had a credit on his account and apparently met with a woman known as "Kristen" in a Washington, D.C. hotel room on February 13th. The papers also say $4,300 was exchanged during that meeting. Governor Spitzer's travel records show he was in Washington, D.C. that night.