Did Spitzer Get Stoned?

Well, the short answer seems to be no. But there’s still plenty curious about Roger Stone’s cameo role in Eliot Spitzer’s downfall.

The Miami Herald reported on Friday that Stone, a veteran Republican operative with a deep bag of tricks, had sent a letter via his lawyer to the FBI in November of last year informing them that he’d learned that Spitzer frequented prostitutes. The letter stated:

“The governor has paid literally tens of thousands of dollars for these services. It is Mr. Stone’s understanding that the governor paid not with credit cards or cash but through some pre-arranged transfer… It is also my client’s understanding from the same source that Gov. Spitzer did not remove his mid-calf length black socks during the sex act.”

Speaking to the Herald, Stone was a bit more clear about how he came to learn this: “a high-end call girl at an adult-themed club called Miami Velvet told him she was disappointed to have missed a call to entertain Spitzer.” Why was Stone — no stranger to sex scandals — at the Miami Velvet Swingers Club (the full name, according to the website)? Well, conducting opposition research, presumably.

But back to the letter. As our timeline makes clear, the feds began their investigation into the Emperor Club’s ring in October of last year, approximately a month before Stone sent his letter to the FBI.

So was the FBI asking Stone for information about Spitzer? That’s not clear. According to Stone’s lawyer Robert Buschel, the FBI had sought to speak to Stone, but “did not specify why they wanted to interview Mr. Stone or the subject matter.” Stone’s lawyers, understandably, advised Stone against speaking to the FBI on such ambiguous terms. But he apparently did reply by letter with that unsolicited tip about Spitzer’s activities.

In sum, it’s unclear at this juncture whether the FBI’s request had anything to do the Spitzer investigation. It’s also unclear whether the FBI received Stone’s letter or passed it on to the agents investigating Spitzer and the Emperor’s Club. But given the facts reported about how the investigation developed, it’s at least clear that Stone’s tip came after the investigation was well under way.