Spitzer Has Sinned, But It’s Our Sex Obsession That’s Criminal

[Phx_Dem]

When Eliot Spitzer was my research assistant in the 1980s, he was a young man of great brilliance, high integrity, conservative demeanor and enormous promise. It pains me deeply to see him brought down so far, and so quickly, by private sexual misconduct.

I think somewhat less of him now than I did before I heard this week’s news of his indiscretions, largely because of what he did to his family — but let’s all take a collective deep breath and try to regain a sense of proportion about the essentially private actions of this public man.

snip

There is another issue that is potentially quite troubling in this case. The story about how Spitzer’s alleged crimes were discovered does not ring true.

As a criminal defense lawyer, I have dealt with many money laundering and other bank-related cases. The financial transactions that allegedly gave rise to the federal government’s interest in Spitzer do not generally result in a criminal investigation.

I strongly suspect that we will learn more about how the feds came to focus on Spitzer’s financial transactions. The money laundering statute is so vague and open-ended that it can be used selectively to target political and economic opponents. On this issue, stay tuned. We have not heard the last of it.

http://www.forward.com/articles/12885/

[havocmom]

1. Silencing people with fear of reprisals for dissent is far more damaging to society

than bopping high priced hookers.

[enid602]

2. horny

You'd think some of these folks ain't had no you-know-what since God-knows-when!

[msongs]

3. only spitzer is responsible for his situation. nt

[Warpy]

4. Still, the comment can be made that it was the hypocrisy, not the sex,

that created Spitzer's difficulties. If he hadn't gone after similar call girl services as well as human trafficking in NY, perhaps he wouldn't be as vilified.

I hope this doesn't just go away. I hope it does shed more light on the use of the US DOJ to attack political opponents, especially the circumventing of the FISA law to spy on them.

I just don't expect it right now. Neither did Spitzer, which is probably the main reason he resigned.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Actually, money laundering is also criminal.

And so is soliciting prostitutes.

[Phx_Dem]

8. It will be interesting to see

whether the hooker is charged with any crime.

[aquart]

6. I completely agree.

[JDPriestly]

7. Has anyone thought about the fact that this "investigation"

gave the Justice Department the excuse for listening in on every single phone call and reading every single e-mail that the DEMOCRATIC governor of New York made for the duration of the "investigation."

How many other Democratic politicians and elected officials are being "investigated" for misdemeanors of this sort with wiretaps and total surveillance? And in an election year? How convenient.

And wasn't Bolton rumored to have gone to something called Plato's Retreat? I wonder if he was wiretapped for that connection? How commonly does the Bush administration wiretap Democratic politicians? I'd really like to know.