Idaho senator and New York governor disgraced after sex scandals.
Ex-Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer had something in common this year. They both were forced to resign from powerful positions after allegations arose that they had solicited sex.
Craig was arrested in Minnesota on June 11, 2007 on solicitation and disorderly conduct charges (though no one — not even his wife — knew until August). Spitzer was nabbed in a sting targeting a prostitution ring and resigned March 12.
Though the cases are similar in basic nature, the details of each case are quite different and shocking in their own way.
On Jun 12 2007, Sen. Craig was arrested in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after an undercover officer reported that Craig tried to solicit sex from him while in the bathroom. According to the officer, Craig tapped his foot and ran his hands under the division separating stalls, which ostensibly indicates an interest in sex. Craig later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct without letting anyone know about the incident.
After the story broke in late August 2007, the senator’s troubles only increased.
In a letter from the Senate Ethics Committee, Craig was publicly admonished for “improper conduct” and “attempting to evade legal consequences” relating to both the charge itself, his keeping the incident a secret, his withdrawal of his guilty plea only after it became public, and allegations that he tried to use his status as a senator to intimidate the arresting officer.
Idaho Democrat Larry LaRocco, a contender for Craig’s seat once his term is up, was quoted in the Idaho Statesman as saying: “In the court of public opinion, I think this [the report] is going to have quite a bit of weight. I don’t think it’s anything to be taken lightly.”
The Senate Ethics Committee had not had a public hearing since 1995.
Adding to Craig’s embarrassment was an Idaho Statesman article detailing five alleged homosexual encounters dating back to the 1980s. Two of the encounters were with male prostitutes. According to one of the men, who described their flirtation “a mutual come on,” told reporters that he came forward because, “I’m disgusted because it’s hypocritical, and he’s lying. He’s lying through his teeth. Heterosexual men do not behave like that.”
The comments are most likely in response to a series of comments that Craig made, including one on August 28 where he said, in a nationally televised press conference, “I am not gay, I never have been gay.” In a later interview with Matt Lauer, Craig reaffirmed his earlier statement, saying, “I don’t agree with the [homosexual] lifestyle, and I’ve said so by my votes over the years.”
Despite the lurid nature of the allegations, there are no letters, voicemails, or e-mails to lend credibility to the accusations. Although there has been speculation about Craig’s sexuality over the years, the only concrete evidence against him was the June 11 arrest.
Eliot Spitzer, former governor of New York, had no such luck in his own scandal involving solicitation.
In his case, there are voicemails, bank transactions, and text messages describing how “Client 9” paid $4,300 for one meeting with a girl known as Kristen and used the prostitution ring eight times before his activities came to light.
Unlike Craig, Spitzer admitted to his activities, announcing his resignation and telling reporters, “I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work.”
Spitzer has not yet been indicted, though future charges could include money laundering and violation of the Mann Act, which, according to the New York Times, “makes it a federal offense to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.”
The allegations against Spitzer present an obvious irony. During his time as Attorney General, Spitzer garnered a reputation as a “tireless crusader” (Time) and was described in the New York Times as a symbol of “public revulsion with Wall Street’s excesses.”
Spitzer went after mortgage brokers, gun manufacturers, the NYPD, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, bankers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York State Legislature, and CEOs. He was even quoted last fall as saying, “Straight talk is perhaps something that comes too naturally to me.”
Additionally, this event could lead to more than just embarrassment for the former prosecutor. Spitzer, formerly one of 800 Democratic superdelegates, had endorsed Hillary Clinton. With Clinton falling behind Barack Obama, she needs as many superdelegates as she can in order to have a chance at winning. The Spitzer scandal could cause other delegates to lean towards Obama.