NY Gov. Spitzer under pressure to quit over sex case

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A New York Times report said the man who made his name fighting corruption hired a $1,000-an-hour prostitute and was caught on a federal wiretap at least six times on February 12 and 13 arranging to meet with her at a Washington hotel.

Spitzer, a married 48-year-old Democrat who investigated prostitution as New York's attorney general, apologized for what he described as a "private matter" but said nothing about resigning. He neither confirmed nor denied the report.

State Republicans called for him to step down.

New York State Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco said on Monday night he had received a phone call from Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson to discuss a possible transition of power if Spitzer resigns.

The New York Times said in an editorial Spitzer's insistence it was a "private matter" displayed arrogance.

"He did not just betray his family in a private matter. He betrayed the public, and it is hard to see how he will recover from this mess and go on to lead the reformist agenda on which he was elected to office," the paper said.

News of the scandal rocked Wall Street, where power brokers resented Spitzer's high-profile inquiries into financial cases when he was New York state's chief prosecutor.

Spitzer was elected governor with nearly 70 percent of the vote in late 2006 following a stint as state attorney general noted for high-profile investigations into Wall Street.

The Wall Street Journal said Spitzer had shown his lack of restraint in overly aggressive tactics as attorney general, making "extraordinary threats" to entire firms and to those who criticized his pursuit of high-profile Wall Street figures.

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