Federal prosecutors say that former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will face no criminal charges for patronizing a high-priced, multi-state prostitution ring.
U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia told CNN:
After a thorough investigation, this office has uncovered no evidence of misuse of public or campaign funds.
In light of the policy of the Department of Justice with respect to prostitution offenses and the longstanding practice of this office, as well as Mr. Spitzer's acceptance of responsibility for his conduct, we have concluded that the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter.
Theoretically, Spitzer could face local charges lodged by Washington D.C authorities (it's illegal to hire a prostitute), but that seems highly unlikely at this point.
As governor, Spitzer pushed hard for legislation designed to regulate video game sales. Ironically, he claimed to be concerned about the cartoon prostitutes in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series, saying:
Media content has gotten more graphic, more violent and more sex-based… Currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fourteen-year old from walking into a video store and buying… a game like ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ which rewards a player for stealing cars and beating people up. Children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute…
In April GamePolitics readers voted Spitzer Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite, beating out the likes of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and British MP Keith Vaz.
GP: Pictured are Spitzer, a GTA prostitute and 22-year-old Ashley Dupre. It was the disgraced guv's rendezvous with the would-be singer that led to his downfall in March of this year. On the other hand, if Spitzer had stuck with GTA's virtual hookers he'd still be governor.
Thanks to: GP reader seikyo for the heads-up!
Comments
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Prostitutes are illegal?
Shobidoo, the hardcore gamer
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
"Theoretically, Spitzer could face local charges lodged by Washington D.C authorities (it's illegal to hire a prostitute), but that seems highly unlikely at this point."
Look, whatever he did, that law is utterly stupid. He shouldn't face charges for it.
~You Could Be Mine, But You're Way Out Of Line..~
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
You're exactly right. We should all just follow the laws we agree with. That wont cause anarchy at all!
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
The only good reason to ban prostitution died when condoms and birth control were invented.
So it truly is a stupid law.
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"What for you bury me in the cold cold ground?" - Tasmanian devil
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
And that changes what? Don't like the law? Get a petition together to get the law reworked, don't just ignore it because you don't like it. In America, we have ways of dealing with laws we don't like and "just not following it" isn't the answer.
Edit: By the way, contraceptives have been around since the 1700s, which was before the law was created. I'd imagine the law has little, if anything, to do with paternity or sexually transmitted diseases.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
no charges? that SoB owes me and every other citizen of this bloody state a fat wad of cash to pay back all our tax money he wasted on his prostitutes and little "vacations" to see them IMHO.
but eh, whatever, the states now more than 3/4 officialy controled by that annoyance of an cluster of buildings they call the "big apple" and us westerners are left to die off slowly and painfuly as our communities dwindle and turn to ash.
literally until recently my area hadn't seen a high level crime in over 20 some odd years, then recently we suddenly began having drug problems, murders, robbery... all because the dieing cities around us are have flocks of people leaving them to "get away from the high crime" all the while dragging it along with them into our once peaceful country area's.
worst crimes we used to have to deal with was a cow tipper or some spray paint vandal.
i've seen more farm land dissappear to new houses (most of which never even get completed and are left to rot for several months before the bank takes over and auctions it off) in this past year than i have in my entire life living here (25 years and counting)
somebody do something about buffalo please, just nuke the damned place already or something, its worse off atm than freaken bagdhad
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
no charges? that SoB owes me and every other citizen of this bloody state a fat wad of cash to pay back all our tax money he wasted on his prostitutes and little "vacations" to see them IMHO.
Dude, that's what this entire fricking article was about. He's not being changed because he didn't use any of your money.
"After a thorough investigation, this office has uncovered no evidence of misuse of public or campaign funds."
-Gray17
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
They see him rollin'. They hatin'.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
"...the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter."
One could argue that the same could be said of every john out there.
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"What for you bury me in the cold cold ground?" - Tasmanian devil
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
One could argue that the same could be said of every john out there.
That's probably what they mean by:
In light of the policy of the Department of Justice with respect to prostitution offenses and the longstanding practice of this office...
-Gray17
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
I'm glad he didn't face charges. hes an asshole, but prostitution especially callgirls, should be legal. Don't let your bias get the best of you, I'm sure the other half the time you are opposed to jailing people for it.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
I still don't see how this is hypocritical. Would it be hypocritical for someone who drinks or smokes to say that children shouldn't?
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Actually that drinker or smoker would be a hypocrite as well. Being a hypocrite doesn't automatically make one's arguments wrong though.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
When a politican who is a married man is going out and sleeping with prostitutes, that person has no business trying to legislate morality, and that is what video game legislation is.
The government is restricting access of Free Speech media to minors because they find it morally inappropriate or unsuitable for them when that should be the sole responsibility of the individual parents.
Alcohol and cigerettes have proven harmful effects hence the reason they're regulated. The same can't be said for violent media as the evidence for that is extremely weak and inconsistant, incredibly flawed and baised as well as nothing more then psuedoscientific bulls**t.
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
It's hypocritical because he
a:Complained about virtual sex, specifically the hookers in GTA (although I suppose that may be more ironic than hypocritical) and then banged a hooker.
b: He campaigned and won based on the ethics platform, including trying to impose harsher penalties on those who engage in sex with prostitutes, and then he banged a hooker.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
"...the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter."
That really bothers me. There's already a huge perception that the powerful can get away with anything. It seems to me that seeing even a powerful politician punished for his perpetrations (...okay, enough aliteration) is ABSOLUTELY in the public interest. Restore a little faith in the system, why don't you, instead of convincing people that politicians really can get away without charges when they commit crimes.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
The thing is, there's really not much more they can do to him other than whatever the standard sentence is for paying a hooker for sex. For most politicians charges also serve to remove them from office. Spitzer unlike most politicians had the decency to resign and stop showing his face in public, thus freeing everyone else up to move on with their lives. In short, he's already killed his own career in it's tracks.
So most of what charges would serve to do has already been done, and for what little more that could be done would likely run into trouble with the fact that they don't bother prosecuting anyone else for the same crime. So why go to the expense when everyone's already stopped caring about Spitzer, save to laugh at how his hypocracy destroyed his career?
In other words, he didn't so much get away with it, as he got punished without the legal system needing to do much.
-Gray17
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Dear Obama, this here. Get all up in this please.
CHAAAANNNNNGE!
-Remember kids, personal responsibility is for losers! -The Buck Stops Here. -Thou Shall Not Teamkill, Asshole.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Lazier, he has friends high up, so he got away. Kind of like if you are in the right family, wink wink, and do ANYTHING illegal in New York or other cities with mobs, you get off the hook without a court hearing if it doesn't go public, and if it does, the court case is just a formality. I love how the mob is still around, and the common person doesn't really realize it.
At least the Guv has good taste... He should have stuck with internet porn though.
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Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Jack Thompson is still headbanging himself about this, lol
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
Where's his latest rant?
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"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon
"A Chrono Trigger is anything that unleashes its will or desire to change history!" -Gaspar
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
I think he was banned early this week...
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
not to be rude to dennis but that never stopped him before
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
So if I frequent a prostitute in New York and admit it to the nation, I wont have any charges filed against me?
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
I see you've no idea how common prostitution is in NYC; in Chinatown there's like a "massage" place on every corner D:
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Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
It was a comment on the corruptness(corruptitude?) of our government masquerading as a joke.
If I can't get away with publicly annoucing that I commissioned a prostitute and get away without so much as a slap on the wrist then why should he?
Maybe I should run for Govenor on the platform that I simply don't want to be held accountable for my actions.
Re: Gaming's Biggest Political Hypocrite Will Face No Charges,
That's the way I understood it, and to clarify, you have to admit you did it and insist that you are sorry.