Reply #10: Did Spitzer Get Stoned?

[L. Coyote]

Did Spitzer Get Stoned?
Paul Kiel - March 24, 2008 - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/did_spitzer_get_stoned.php


Well, the short answer seems to be no. But there's still plenty curious about Roger Stone's cameo role in Eliot Spitzer's downfall.

The Miami Herald reported on Friday that Stone, a veteran Republican operative with a deep bag of tricks, had sent a letter via his lawyer to the FBI in November of last year informing them that he'd learned that Spitzer frequented prostitutes ...

.....

So was the FBI asking Stone for information about Spitzer? That's not clear. According to Stone's lawyer Robert Buschel, the FBI had sought to speak to Stone, but "did not specify why they wanted to interview Mr. Stone or the subject matter." Stone's lawyers, understandably, advised Stone against speaking to the FBI on such ambiguous terms. But he apparently did reply by letter with that unsolicited tip about Spitzer's activities.

In sum, it's unclear at this juncture whether the FBI's request had anything to do the Spitzer investigation. It's also unclear whether the FBI received Stone's letter or passed it on to the agents investigating Spitzer and the Emperor's Club. But given the facts reported about how the investigation developed, it's at least clear that Stone's tip came after the investigation was well under way.