I just got off the phone with Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who had plenty to say about the governor’s troubles. Some key quotes:
“I don’t know anyone who is more self-righteous or unforgiving than Eliot Spitzer. So he’s going to have a hard time finding friends right now…
“Spitzer himself was very severe going after prostitution rings that had to do with white collar crimes. He was very hard-nosed with his tactics. To leave himself open to blackmail — putting himself and the state in a compromised position like that — it’s just awful.”
On Spitzer’s future:
“He’s going to have to resign…At one level, it has to do with his integrity and his personal morality, but I don’t even want to go into that. Without even touching on that, he has to resign…I’m one of those people who actually said Clinton should not have been impeached. I try to avoid personal moral issues in politics. But prostitution rings are invariably linked to organized crime. He, as the former attorney general and the current governor, had to know about the link between organized crime and prostitution rings.”
On Lt. Gov. David Paterson (D), who would be Spitzer’s successor if he resigns:
“I may disagree with him on an issue here or there, but I find David Paterson to be a really decent guy. He’s gone through a lot in life. He’s an African-American guy from Queens who was born legally blind. I’d look forward to working with him.”