Jeane Palfrey, Elliot Spitzer and Me

I recently watched the documentary Client 9 – the story of the rise and fall of the former Governor of New York, Elliot Spitzer. He, who many thought would be our first Jewish President, fell from grace when his use of the Emperor’s Club Escort Service became known in March 2008.

Jeane and I were in the documentary. Client 9 raised the question as to why the Bush Department of Justice clearly went after the Democratic Elliot Spitzer in its prosecution of the Emperor’s Club employees but at the same moment in time went out of its way to protect the known – and other never publicly revealed – Republican patrons of Pamela Martin & Associates, Jeane’s escort service such as Senator Vitter and Harlan Ullman.

The answer is plain – the Department of Justice has become corrupted to the political aspirations of those in office. My answer: Return to the jury system to exclusive right to decide the law and facts and allow private attorney generals access to the grand jury now exclusively reserved to public prosecutors thus removing the excessive concentration of power in the Department of Justice.