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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Eliot Spitzer will not be charged for involvement in prostitution ring; Legal scholar cries foul
Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer will not be charged for this involvement in a prostitution ring that forced his resignation as Governor on March 17th.
In a statement today, Spitzer said:
"I understand the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has decided that it will not bring criminal charges against me. I appreciate the impartiality and thoroughness of the investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and I acknowledge and accept responsibility for the conduct it disclosed. I resigned my position as Governor because I recognized that conduct was unworthy of an elected official. I once again apologize for my actions, and for the pain and disappointment those actions caused my family and the many people who supported me during my career in public life."
The Associated Press is reporting that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said that after a thorough investigation, his office found no evidence that Spitzer or his office misused public or campaign funds for prostitution.
Garcia said: "We have concluded that the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter."
Spitzer paid for sex with high-priced call girls, including Ashley Alexandra Dupre, who eventually revealed herself as “Kristen,” the prostitute at the centre of the scandal.
While Spitzer's potential legal troubles are now over, Temeka Rachelle Lewis, as of my last report, faces 16 months in prison. Lewis plead guilty in May to charges of money laundering and promoting prostitution for her role in booking clients like Spitzer with high-priced call girls like Dupre.
At the time, I wrote that Lewis is the first real victim in the Spitzer prostitution scandal.
Why is Lewis a victim? Because prostitution, however offensive to some, is a consensual act and, therefore, not a real crime. Spitzer was willing to pay for sex; Dupre was willing to be paid for sex; and Lewis was willing to be paid to take care of the sordid details. No harm done. So why should Lewis spend as long as 16 months, after her plea bargain, in prison?
If Lewis is a victim of unjust laws, what about Spitzer? I don't think so. Spitzer was a dangerous crusader who built a career as a prosecutor-turned-governor on ruthless, public campaigns against prostitution rings and so-called white-collar financial crimes. In the end, he was hoisted by his own petard -- and that seems like justice to me.
University of Alberta law professor and Western Standard blogger Dr. Moin Yahya thinks the decision not to charge Spitzer -- but to charge Lewis -- reveals injustice and hypocrisy in the justice system:
"Not charging Spitzer shows us why the state continues to invade our daily affairs. When the powerful do not have to be subject to the laws they passed or enforced, they have no incentive to stop the madness. There are thousands of Americans who are charged with all sorts of technical violations of federal laws ranging from the Mann Act (moving women across state lines for immoral purposes) to various money laundering acts and regulations. When only ordinary Americans are subject to the laws but those who make the laws or enforce them are immune, the result is more tyranny and less liberty."
I'll continue to update Western Standard readers on this story as the news comes in, but for background information you can read stories here and here and here and here and here and here.
Posted by Matthew Johnston on November 6, 2008 in Current Affairs | Permalink
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Eliot Spitzer will not be charged for involvment in prostitution ring
Posted by Matthew Johnston on November 6, 2008
Obamamania is fading already.
Posted by: The Stig | 2008-11-06 1:54:12 PM
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