More Spitzer

[Original post with video of presser here.]

Spitzer is now expected to resign, possibly as soon as tonight, as some details of the allegations begin to trickle out: "New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is under investigation for allegedly meeting with a prostitute in a Washington hotel, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. One of the sources said Spitzer is identified in a criminal complaint as 'Client-9,' and that Spitzer's alleged involvement was caught on a federal wiretap."

You can read the Complaint, with the Warrant Affidavit, here; the portion regarding "Client-9" begins at paragraph 73. A commenter at Feministe, to whose comment Shaker Betty Vagynomite Boondoggle pointed in comments, interprets some of the more disturbing passages (e.g. sometimes asking sex workers to do things that they feel are unsafe) to mean he may have been asking sex workers to perform without condoms. Shaker Car also points out, quite correctly, that the complaint appears to detail his haggling over the price of services. Sounds like Spitzer didn't just frequent a brothel, but he also treated the women who worked there poorly.

As I mentioned in comments, Spitzer's having been a champion of women's rights makes this particularly disappointing to me. I can only imagine the feelings of betrayal being experienced by women who worked closely with Spitzer and considered him a feminist ally, only to now hear that he was not only involved with a prostitution ring but also allegedly mistreated the sex workers. Mostly, I feel for his wife and especially his three daughters, who must be devastated and whose lives will never be the same.