It’s the politically motivated prosecution!!!1!!eleventy!
The suspicious financial activity was initially reported by a bank to the IRS which, under direction from the Justice Department, brought in the FBI’s Public Corruption Squad.
“We had no interest at all in the prostitution ring until the thing with Spitzer led us to learn about it,” said one Justice Department official.
C’mon, man. Get with the real story here. Do you think that the Justice Dept would have gone ahead with an investigation had this been a Republican? Really?
A source familiar with the investigation into the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring says that the defendants in the case are the head of the club, the day-to-day business manager and two booking agents. Further, the case has apparently been done for quite a while, and the US Attorney in charge — Michael Garcia — “has been tearing his hair out” trying to get someone higher up at the DoJ in Washington to look at the prosecution memo and sign off, because of the need to get their authorization before indicting a public figure.
Kudos to Hamsher for reporting that last bit. So anxious was the DOJ to prosecute the guy that they’ve been driving the US Attorney bonkers. So much a matter of Boosh’s surveillance state was this that it began with a tip from a bank.
So, Jane . . . do you agree with Greenwald? Is prostitution a victimless crime?
Teh Fall of teh Roamin’ Emperor!!
Best Headline: So This Is Spitzmas
Comment by B Moe on 3/11 @ 7:18 am #
Hamsher:
All kinds of questions arise here:
1. Why would the bank tell the IRS and not Spitzer himself if there was a suspicious transfer?
She really is thick as a brick, isn’t she?
Comment by Pablo on 3/11 @ 7:26 am #
Did ya get a load of the ears on that boy? Eliot Nestor?
Comment by JD on 3/11 @ 7:26 am #
They are just asking the tough questions.
Comment by Fred Garvin on 3/11 @ 7:32 am #
Hamsher don’t work in a bank, that’s for sure…
Comment by Slartibartfast on 3/11 @ 7:58 am #
Waiting for a different photoshopped cover, now.
Comment by sashal on 3/11 @ 8:01 am #
Fuck Spitzer and Ace of Spades or GG excuses.
In majority of countries he would not have been prosecuted for this. I am much more upset with his hypocrisy, remember him going after the prostitution in NY with the great zeal?
But what upsets me more and should really concern most of Americans is this BS, distortions and manipulation of our government unpunished..well done..
Comment by Cincinnatus on 3/11 @ 8:03 am #
“The Left” is trying to steal the image of Saddam’s statue being ripped down.
Comment by LiveFromFortLivingRoom on 3/11 @ 9:04 am #
Sashal did you ever post anything about the Larry Craig scandal? I just want to know if you mentioned Iraq then?
Pingback by Spitzer Update: Scott Horton refutes himself, plus escort pics [Karl] on 3/11 @ 9:15 am #
[...] to Protein Wisdom homepage « Horton Hears a Conspiracy: It’s Not the Crime . . . [Dan Collins] | Home | March 11, 2008 Spitzer Update: Scott Horton [...]
Comment by sashal on 3/11 @ 9:55 am #
no, I have not posted about L.Craig.
I did not give a damn about the ridiculous accusations.
Comment by McGehee on 3/11 @ 10:09 am #
In majority of countries bribes cost people more than their taxes.
Comment by Cowboy on 3/11 @ 10:15 am #
In majority of countries he would not have been prosecuted for this.
You say that like it’s a ringing endorsement of those other countries.
It’s not.
Comment by sashal on 3/11 @ 10:32 am #
Cowboy, you may be appalled by the prostitution, but it should be legal imho…
Comment by Cowboy on 3/11 @ 11:00 am #
sashal:
I’m not appaled by prostitution–don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t want to hijack this thread by turning it into a debate over the legality of prostitution, but I do think there are important, and correct, reasons why it’s illegal.
Comment by Topsecretk9 on 3/11 @ 11:09 am #
In majority of countries he would not have been prosecuted for this.
Soooo, he shouldn’t have prosecuted prostitution rings then. Go complain to him about it.
Comment by scooter (not libby) on 3/11 @ 12:07 pm #
Fact: prostitution IS illegal, whether or not you believe it should be.
Fact: Spitzer engaged in, and was caught committing, illegal activity.
Arguments re. legality of prostitution are strawmen. Write your legislature if you want the law changed; in the meantime, you do NOT GET TO BREAK THE LAW JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T THINK THE LAW IS CORRECT. Selective prosecution of criminal acts based upon the perpetrator’s (or the perpetrator’s proponents’) ideas of the legality of the act is not just a slippery slope, it’s a fucking cliff. And I don’t want to drive off of it.
Comment by McGehee on 3/11 @ 12:55 pm #
Especially ominous when you consider that we’re seeing different ideas of legality on other things besides prostitution. For example, honor killing, honor rape, and terrorism.
Comment by BJTexs on 3/11 @ 1:09 pm #
I’ve said this on another thread and I’ll summarize here, mainly for sashal’s benefit:
It’s not about the sex!! It’s about the means used to acquire the sex, the hiding of the sex and what the sex says about the government executive elected by the public trust.
I’m way more concerned with Spitzer hiding the cash transactions and (he being a lawyer) having a prostitute travel over state lines in clear violation of the Mann Act than in his john activities. I’m also way more concerned in what this says about his character when he would make himself vulnerable to influence just to get a creative hummer or whatever. This holds true for Vitter and Bubba, although i place an even higher standard of conduct on an executive than I would on a legislator.
Public Servant, Public Executive, Public Trust.
The prostitution johnny is small potatoes in the outrage garden.
Comment by I R A Darth Aggie on 3/11 @ 1:16 pm #
And where are the whacked-out Feminazi’s? they should be eviscerating Spitzer for humiliating his wife and using this “Kristen” as a sex toy.
But I’m sure they’re out muttering about the BusHitlerburtonChenney conspiracy to destroy Spitzer…
Comment by MayBee on 3/11 @ 1:18 pm #
Public Servant, Public Executive, Public Trust.
Using a supporter’s name with the Club says a lot about his character. I find that repulsive, in that ‘Hillary Clinton trying to destroy Monica Lewinsky’ sort of way.
Comment by Dan Collins on 3/11 @ 1:37 pm #
Fox’s Booke of Martyrs
Comment by B Moe on 3/11 @ 3:36 pm #
I agree that prostitution should be legal. If the Democrats made moves in this direction, it would score points with me. The only problem is they only seem to think this when one of them gets caught, I have yet to hear one promote it in a campaign speech or through legislation.
Comment by Fred Garvin on 3/11 @ 5:15 pm #
scooter, dude, it’s civil disobedience. A time-honored tradition. Moreover, juries traditionally can acquit “guilty” parties based on the faultiness of the law at issue. Jury nullification and all that.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 3/11 @ 5:23 pm #
Fred, I don’t think you can claim “civil disobedience” when you’re:
a) Transporting a hooker across state lines
b) Attempting to hide your actions by using false names and attempting to skirt banking laws (after all, if you’re attempting to show a law is unjust, you want to make it clear you’ve committed the act)
c) The chief executive of one of the civil authorities you claim to be disobeying.
And while I’m not personally sure of the propriety of jury nullification, it still requires the matter to come to a jury.
Comment by Fred Garvin on 3/11 @ 6:00 pm #
I was responding in a general sense to the capitalized portion of scooter’s comment, Rob, not addressing the specifics of this case.
Comment by Great Mencken's Ghost on 3/11 @ 7:26 pm #
Well, Governor Spitzer declared prostitution was NOT a victimless crime when he shut down those two rings he prosecuted, so maybe we should take his word for it?
Comment by Neo on 3/12 @ 8:05 am #
This is different that Vitter, Folley or Studds, who had 100 or so others to counteract their bad judgemnt and perhaps bias. Today we see this goes back to Spitzer’s time as NY AG, the guy who has final yea/nay on all prosecutions in New York State.
Shoot, they went after the US AG for firing a couple of attorneys.
Close your eyes and imagine for a moment .. Ashcroft being busted for the same.
Now, try to imagine your defense for both.
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