Eliot Spitzer | |||
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Governor of New York From: January 1, 2007 – March 17, 2008 | |||
Predecessor | George Pataki | ||
Successor | David Paterson | ||
Information | |||
Party | Democrat | ||
Spouse(s) | Silda Wall Spitzer | ||
Religion | Jewish |
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959), a Jewish American liberal Democrat, was the Governor of New York until a sex scandal forced his resignation in 2008. Spitzer was elected governor in a landslide victory in the November 2006 election.[1] He is the former New York State Attorney General. Spitzer currently hosts Viewpoint on Current TV, replacing Keith Olbermann's program. He also had a failed stint working for CNN.
On the national scene for nearly two decades, Spitzer was in private law practice briefly before becoming a district attorney and chief New York prosecutor. Spitzer made national headlines along the way, successfully prosecuting everything from financial malfeasance to prostitution rings, with the former earning him the nickname Mr. Clean of Wall Street.[2]
On March 10, 2008, Spitzer was exposed as a client of a very high priced prostitution ring. He was already the subject of an investigation by the New York state Attorney General's office for ordering the State Police to keep special records of Republican state Senate majority leader Joseph L. Bruno's whereabouts when he traveled with police escorts in New York City. At the direction of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the New York State Police created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno.
The cover of the June 14, 2004, edition of National Review referred to Spitzer as "the most destructive politician in America".[3] He was considered an enemy by those on Wall Street.[4]
It has been noted that Spitzer, despite using laws against prostitution to destroy his enemies and further his political career, was willing to violate these laws himself.[5] In the aftermath of the prostitution scandal, he announced on March 12, 2008, that he planned to resign effective March 17, 2008.