[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/03/13/art.spitzer.gi.jpg caption=" Eliot Spitzer announces his resignation March 12, 2008 in New York City."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Eliot Spitzer is out as governor of New York come Monday, but there are still many questions swirling around about what exactly will become of him.
Spitzer resigned yesterday amid a prostitution scandal. But he is also in a legal battle to avoid criminal charges. The U.S. Attorney has said that there's no agreement between his office and Spitzer "relating to his resignation or any other matter."
And experts describe a range of possible charges the disgraced governor could face including: money laundering, wire fraud, tax evasion, violation of the Mann Act (for paying for the prostitute to travel from New York to Washington-thus crossing state lines), misuse of state resources (if he used his government credit card for hotels or meals with prostitutes or if he was being protected by state troopers while he was frolicking with his hooker), structuring (or illegally arranging the cash payments in order to hide their purpose), and soliciting a prostitute.
Spitzer doesn't have a plea bargain, though it's believed that he's trying very hard to get one. Based on the likely charges, one expert tells Bloomberg radio that it "seems unlikely" that Spitzer will spend any time in prison.
Another possibility is he could be disbarred. In New York, an attorney can lose his license if he's not meeting the standards of conduct expected of members of the bar. He probably missed those standards by at least a few yards even though the record suggests those standards are not very high.
Here’s my question to you: Should disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer face criminal charges in connection with his prostitution scandal?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Brian from Decatur, Georgia writes:
Why not? Didn't he make a name for himself prosecuting lots of people for similar behavior? The money laundering alone should earn him some time in jail. I think most people do not care about the fact that he used the services of a prostitute, but they are angered by his hypocrisy in holding himself out to be a pillar of ethical behavior all the while he was buying the services of a hooker. I think they should give him a nice stay in jail to think about it.
Roger writes:
Actually, he should face charges for stupidity! As a lawyer/prosecutor, he obviously knew the risks he was taking. He also had to know that after the way he treated others he could expect no support from his colleagues in government. He will probably only get a slap on the wrist, even though he ruined others for much the same behavior.
V. from Ottawa writes:
What an irony. This is a nation where impeachment proceedings or criminal charges can be so seriously considered against people's sexual failings. Look at Bill Clinton or Eliot Spitzer. But a person like President Bush, whose every policy has damaged the country, often irreparably, seems to be able to get away scot-free.
Nicole from Tampa, Florida writes:
Jack, Absolutely! This man bullied his way into office and conducted a witch hunt on Wall Street. He should be taken down the same way he took down so many others. He is a despicable man and I feel so sorry for his wife and daughters. Silda looks likes she's aged 10 years over the past week.
Fred from Maine writes:
He's a hypocrite. I say a public whipping is in order.
Gerald from Monroe County, West Virginia writes:
Consenting adults, free trade… Don't we have more serious crimes to solve? If only he had gone to Vegas. It would have stayed there. And it’s legal, too.