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Clinton sidesteps sex scandal
11/03/2008 12:20 - (SA)
Beth Fouhy
New York - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton carefully sidestepped questions about the sex scandal engulfing Eliot Spitzer, her home state
governor and political ally.
"I don't have any comment on that. Obviously I am sending my best
wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family," Clinton said on Monday, opening her first campaign swing through Pennsylvania, which holds its presidential primary on April 22.
Spitzer apologised on Monday after he was accused of paying for sex
with a high-priced call girl. Authorities say he was caught on a
federal wiretap arranging a tryst with the woman at a Washington hotel
room.
Blow to Clinton
It was a blow to Clinton, who recently had intensified her criticism
of rival Barack Obama's relationship with Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a
political patron on trial in federal court in Obama's hometown of
Chicago for alleged fraud and corruption.
While not personally close, Clinton and Spitzer have been friendly
colleagues since the former first lady first ran for a US Senate in
New York in 2000.
Her aides said Clinton deeply respected Spitzer's
work during his two terms as state attorney general, where he became a
national crusader against corporate corruption and Wall Street
investment excesses.
But indirectly, Spitzer also caused Clinton a significant political
headache late last year when he proposed a plan to provide illegal
immigrants with drivers' licenses.
During a nationally televised debate, Clinton tripped over a
question about whether she supported the proposal, prompting criticism
that she was being evasive. She later said she opposed the plan but had
not wanted to damage Spitzer by saying so. Spitzer later killed the
idea.
Spitzer an important superdelegate
Spitzer was slow to endorse Clinton's White House bid and has not
been among her more forceful surrogates. But he is one of her
all-important superdelegates, elected officials and party leaders who
could play a decisive role in determining who becomes the presidential
nominee.
Clinton declined to say whether she believed Spitzer could survive
the scandal, which drew immediate calls for him to resign.
"Let's wait and see what comes out of the next few days," she said.
"Right now I don't have any comment. I think it's appropriate to wish
his family well and see how things develop."
No stranger to the public humiliation of sex scandals, the former
first lady stood by her husband in 1998 through the investigation of
his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and subsequent
impeachment.
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