Although I arrive at London’s Athenaeum Hotel five minutes early, Eliot Spitzer is already waiting at a table by the bar.

Less than 18 months later, however, he self-destructed. FBI agents, tipped off by some unusual money transfers, wiretapped him making an assignation with a high-end call girl. Word leaked to the media that Spitzer, who had investigated and castigated prostitutes as attorney-general, was “Client 9” of the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring. He resigned in March 2008, saying, “I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work,” and federal prosecutors opted not to charge.

But the spectre of Ashley Dupré, the 22-year-old prostitute who became Spitzer’s downfall, hangs over the conversation. At one point we are comparing notes on skiing, and I make a pitch for how nice it was to have a catered chalet with what I refer to as a “houseboy or housegirl” to cook all the meals.

See the full article from “Financial Times”



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