Mr. Spitzer’s Demise

Retribution Or Prostitution?

By Rob Kirby

02/04/08 "ICH " -- -- Eliot Spitzer is no more. While I have never been accused of being a Spitzer supporter, I do admit to being curious as to the manner in which he fell, so swiftly, from grace.  As a forensic researcher – I couldn’t help but notice how well timed Mr. Spitzer’s very public demise came on the heels of his very public ‘outing’ or laying blame on the incumbent Republican Administration for the U.S.’s current financial woes: 

Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime

How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers 

By Eliot Spitzer

Thursday, February 14, 2008; Page A25

Several years ago, state attorneys general and others involved in consumer protection began to notice a marked increase in a range of predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders. Some were misrepresenting the terms of loans, making loans without regard to consumers' ability to repay, making loans with deceptive "teaser" rates that later ballooned astronomically, packing loans with undisclosed charges and fees, or even paying illegal kickbacks. These and other practices, we noticed, were having a devastating effect on home buyers. In addition, the widespread nature of these practices, if left unchecked, threatened our financial markets.

Even though predatory lending was becoming a national problem, the Bush administration looked the other way and did nothing to protect American homeowners. In fact, the government chose instead to align itself with the banks that were victimizing consumers….

Amazingly [or perhaps not?], after Spitzer - a Democrat - laid the “blame” for the national mortgage fiasco at the feet of the incumbent Republican administration - a few short weeks later we learn this:

BOMBSHELL: Gov. Eliot Spitzer a client of call girl ring

Online Hooker Ring Busted

High-priced call girls were rated on a scale of diamonds

MARCH 6--An international call girl ring that solicited wealthy male clients via a web site that rated its hookers on a scale of diamonds (and charged accordingly) has been busted by federal agents. The operators of the New York-based Emperors Club were named in a felony complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. 

So how was Mr. Spitzer caught, anyway?  Based on reports in the media – it seems that a combination of Big Brother surveillance of his finances along with some good ole [highly controversial or illegal, perhaps?] wire taps were utilized:

How Spitzer got caught

By the time the scandal broke this week, Spitzer's financial transactions had been monitored, his phone calls had been caught on tape, and his actions had been scrutinized by federal prosecutors. It could have been straight out of the Spitzer prosecution playbook.

Shouldn’t All of This Raise Some Serious Questions?

Of course, there’s always the question about ‘questionable’ [or illegal, perhaps?] wiretaps:

            Senate to save Bush's bacon on illegal wiretaps

No felony when the rules change after the crime

The Republican-controlled Senate is convinced that US President George W. Bush committed a crime when he ordered wiretaps outside of the provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), because it about to undertake legislation to make them legal. Naturally, it would not be necessary to make them legal if they were already, as the White House and Justice Department have lamely insisted.

Are we to believe that the “take down” of Eliot Spitzer was the result of a ‘system to identify money laundering actually working’ – arousing suspicions because of a few 3 – 4 thousand dollar cash transactions? 

If this is really true – should we not have already experienced a broad round-up of trades people, from brick-layers to electricians and plumbers, who are notorious for occasionally conducting their trade on a cash basis?

What about the laundering of the proceeds of the drug trade?  A system capable of catching Mr. Spitzer and his few thousand dollar transactions for hookers, one might logically think, would bring the world’s illegal drug trade to a stand-still, ehhh?

            Another Huge Opium Harvest in Afghanistan

February 06, 2008 06:22 PM ET

Along with forecasting another near-record opium harvest in Afghanistan this year, the United Nations says that cultivation of cannabis, or marijuana, is also on the rise.

Afghanistan was already one of the world's leading marijuana producers, and farmers in 2007 are estimated to have expanded their cannabis crops by almost 30 percent over 2006. In its latest report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warns that even more marijuana will likely be grown in 2008.

Empirical realities would suggest that, in this political season, Mr. Spitzer’s demise had a lot more to do with retribution than prostitution.

Surprised?