New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, implicated as a repeat client of a prostitution ring, announced his resignation today, the New York Times reports. There was no deal shielding him from prosecution. He was the first New York governor to be forced from office since William Sulzer was impeached and removed from his post in 1913 in a scandal over campaign contribution fraud. Lt. Gov. David Paterson will become governor on Monday. Spitzer’s critics threatened him with impeachment if he did not quit immediately.
In a rare move, Michael Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said, “There is no agreement between this Office and Governor Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter.” Spitzer could be subject to prosecution under the federal Mann Act, which deals with prostitutes who cross state lines.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12cnd-resign.html?hp