BY THOMAS ZAMBITO, ELIZABETH BENJAMIN and HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Courtesy of the New York Daily News
Gov. Spitzer’s career, marriage and reputation are in tatters Tuesday after the once-squeaky “Mr. Clean” was outed as sleazy “Client 9” – a regular john of a call girl ring that charged upward of $5,500 an hour.
Spitzer seemed to be on the brink of resigning Monday night after federal allegations surfaced that he arranged illegal trysts by phone and secretly paid thousands of dollars to a front company.
The scandal, one of the biggest political earthquakes in state history, reveals a breathtaking recklessness in a man once seen as presidential timber.
Flanked by his shell-shocked wife of 20 years, Silda Wall Spitzer, the governor apologized to his family and the people of New York at a brief news conference in Manhattan.
“I acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family,” said Spitzer, looking pale and on the verge of tears.
He took no questions and did not address a chorus of calls for his resignation.
“I’ve disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself,” he said. “I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family. I will report back to you in short order.”
The 48-year-old father of three then left the room arm in arm with his 50-year-old wife.
A Democrat close to Spitzer told the Daily News his wife and top adviser Lloyd Constantine are the strongest voices urging him “to fight it through and stay on the job.”
Among Monday’s fast-moving developments:
-A law enforcement source said Spitzer was notified Friday that he had been caught on a federal wiretap. One source said his name first popped up on a recording last summer.
-Investigators stumbled over the prostitution ring after they started looking at some of his fishy financial transactions.
-A federal source said Spitzer faces possible prosecution for prostitution and money laundering.
-A source close to Spitzer said Monday night the governor was debating whether to resign or try to weather the storm. “The governor is doing some soul-searching,” the source said, saying a resignation is “something that can’t be ruled out.”
-Lt. Gov. David Paterson, 53, of Harlem, was suddenly in line to become New York’s first black governor – and only the nation’s third since Reconstruction.
-A cheer went up on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after first reports hit the wire, a reflection of the resentment that still lingers for the punitive “Sheriff of Wall Street.”
-The governor canceled all his public events Tuesday.
Spitzer’s many enemies lost no time calling for his head.
“He has to step down. No one will stand with him,” said Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.). “This is a guy who is so self-righteous, and so unforgiving.”
Assembly Republican leader Jim Tedisco said Spitzer “disgraced his office” and should resign immediately.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a terse statement: “I feel bad for him and his family, but until he makes a more complete statement, I have nothing more to say.”
From ‘Mr. Clean’ to ‘Client 9’
It was a stunning fall from grace for a man widely seen as a modern day reincarnation of straight-arrow Eliot Ness.
He was listed as Client 9 in an FBI affidavit that recounted a sordid Feb. 13 tryst at Washington’s staid old Mayflower Hotel with a call girl code-named “Kristen.”
They spent about two hours together in room 871 on the VIP club floor of the historic hotel a few blocks from the White House.
The affidavit, filed in the March 5 takedown of the Emperors Club VIP hooker ring, painted Spitzer as a regular client, one who was known for asking for “very basic things” that “you might not think were safe.”
He reportedly used “George Fox” – the name of one of his donors – as an alias, but the women knew who he was.
Though it initially appeared Spitzer was netted in a federal prostitution roundup, it turned out the hookers got caught in what began as a public corruption probe into the governor.
The investigation started when a bank tipped off the IRS that Spitzer was suspiciously moving money from accounts he controlled. A probe found he was not paying bribes but hiding payments for sex, a law enforcement source said.
Spitzer – who was caught on a wiretapped call discussing paying for train tickets to bring Kristen to Washington for a tryst during an official Valentine’s Day trip to the capital – could be prosecuted for violating the Mann Act, which makes it a crime to transport a person across state lines for illegal sex.
He is also caught talking about sending his payment to the front company called QAT Consulting Group – “same as in the past.”
Money laundering carries penalties up to 20 years in prison; prostitution is punishable by a maximum of five years.
The law firm of Paul Weiss confirmed that it was representing Spitzer but declined to comment further.
As a crusading attorney general, Spitzer vigorously broke up at least two similar prostitution rings.
Shock in Albany
After The New York Times broke the story about 2 p.m., the governor’s fellow Democrats in the Assembly raced to the TV in the members’ lounge and stood dumbfounded.
“Most people just walked around stunned, even though half of them were probably secretly thrilled to death,” said one Democratic lawmaker.
There was widespread sympathy for Silda Spitzer and her daughters, but few could muster up much for the governor, who picked fights with allies and enemies.
“There may be some politicians who could survive a sex scandal, but Eliot Spitzer isn’t one of them,” said Larry Levy, a political scientist at Hofstra University.
