'Disgraced' New York state governor Spitzer 'faces impeachment'
Tuesday, 11 Mar 2008 17:31
New York state governor Eliot Spitzer apologises after prostitution ring allegations
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Eliot Spitzer, the New York state governor implicated in a high-class prostitution network, has been warned he faces impeachment unless he resigns.
State assembly minority leader James Tedisco has told the Democrat governor the Republicans are giving him only 48 hours to tender his resignation.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Spitzer could step down as early as today.
"But first he's dealing with this personal tragedy at home," a person "close to" the 48-year-old governor told the paper.
Speaking to CNN, Mr Tedisco said Mr Spitzer, a strong backer of Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House, had "breached his contract with the people of New York state".
Appearing at a news conference yesterday, Mr Spitzer apologised over the allegations but did not confirm or deny them.
The New York Times claimed on Monday that the governor, elected 16 months ago, had been caught hiring a prostitute charging $1,000 (£498) an hour by a federal wiretap.
Mr Spitzer's alleged use of the Emperor's Club VIP is in stark contrast to his investigations into prostitution during his tenure as the state's attorney general.
With his wife Silda standing next to him, the governor told journalists he wanted to address a "private matter".
"I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family, and violates my - or any - sense of right and wrong," Mr Spitzer said.
"I apologise first and most importantly to my family. I apologise to the public, whom I promised better. I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good and doing what's best for the state of New York."
Mr Spitzer added: "I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family. I will report back to you in short order."
The Republican Governors Association had already demanded his resignation, while the media reaction has been equally damning.
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal said the state governor had been "stupendously deluded" in his belief he could use a prostitute undetected.
"Governor Spitzer, who made his career by specialising in not just the prosecution, but the ruin, of other men, is himself almost certainly ruined," the paper said.
The New York Post dubbed Mr Spitzer "NY's naked emperor", while the New York Daily News headline its editorial with: "Hit the road, John... and make it quick!"