Jezebel: silda wall spitzer

Did Former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey And Wife Have Threesomes With A Male Aide?

Jessica — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey may have officially one-upped Eliot Spitzer in terms of "goobernatorial" sex scandal sordidness. McGreevey, who left office in disgrace in November 2004 after admitting to an affair with a male colleague, is now being accused by another former male employee of having with the then-Governor and his wife, Dina Matos. Theodore Pedersen, who was McGreevey's driver and traveling aide, has told the Newark Star-Ledger that from 1999 to 2001, he had "weekly romps" with Dina and Jim "that typically began with dinner at T.G.I. Friday's and ended with a threesome at McGreevey's condo in Woodbridge." Jesus, Jim. Fridays? Are those Southwestern egg roll tequila shooters really a turn on?

Anyway — Pederson says he's coming forward now because of the custody battle for the McGreeveys' daughter Jacqueline is scheduled to go to trial in May. He also says he is especially offended by the interviews Dina Matos gave to reporters last week as the Spitzer scandal broke. "I wanted to get this out now because it was so offensive to me that [Dina Matos] goes on television playing the victim," Pedersen said in the Star-Ledger. "She's trying to make this a payday for herself. She should have told the truth about the three of us." (Matos has also written a book and given interviews to Oprah and O, the Oprah Magazine about about her failed marriage.)

Matos has asked for more than $600,000 in "damages" as compensation for Jim's alleged lies about his sexual orientation. (Matos' fortunes are more tethered to her ex-husband than those of Silda Wall Spitzer will ever be: Matos never graduated from college, while Silda's Harvard Law degree is a far more stable contingency plan. ) She also seeks full custody of Jacqueline along with alimony. According to the Star-Ledger, "McGreevey has denied any fraud and, in court filings, countered that he fulfilled his duties as husband because he gave his wife a child and companionship." He's asked for joint-custody of Jacqueline. Pederson could be one of the first witnesses to testify for Jim McGreevey on behalf of the prosecution.

McGreevey Aide Says He Had Sexual Trysts With Ex-governor, Wife [Newark Star-Ledger]
Matos McGreevey Says She Feels Pain Of Silda Spitzer, Thinks NY Gov Should Resign [Newark Star-Ledger]
How Could She Not Have Known? [O: The Oprah Magazine]
Ex-N.J. Gov. Had 3-Way Sex, Aide Claims [CBS News]

Related: Public Infidelity, Private Debate: Not My Husband (Right?) [New York Times]

How Eliot Spitzer's Indiscretions Made His Wife Age Before Our Eyes

Anna — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Women of a certain age have it hard. They get pushed out of the workforce for younger, "better models." Sometimes their husbands of many decades cheat on them with prostitutes! Which brings us to Silda Wall Spitzer. As the week has worn, the chatter about Eliot Spitzer's accomplished, philanthropic, whip-smart wife — and what she must be feeling, thinking, and planning — has exploded, including commentary by bloggers, internet commenters and Ed Koch (the former mayor of New York), on how the 50-year-old mother of three seemingly aged several years overnight. Curious, we took a look at recent photographs of of the Harvard Law grad and found a marked difference in her face, which can only be described as exhausted and devastated, yet strong*. But that's just us. What do you think? After the jump, a chronological photo gallery of Ms. Spitzer's public appearances through the years.

*(This is not a criticism, people.)

Left: October 5, 2006. Right: November 7, 2006.

Left: November 17, 2006. Right, April 24, 2007.

Left: September 9, 2007. Right, December 1, 2007.

Left: December 4, 2007. Right: February 25, 2007.

Left: March 11, 2008. Right: March 12, 2008.

(Images via Getty)

Earlier: Women On Silda Wall: "I'd Have Paraded In Front Of A Microphone With A Knife"

Women On Silda Wall: "I'd Have Paraded In Front Of A Microphone With A Knife"

Dodai — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:30:00 EDT

After two days of relentless focus and attention on the now-resigned New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, the news agencies have set their sights on the problem of prostitution, and, of course, on his now-suffering wife, Silda. Her "charmed life slips away," reads an AP headline. "Brainy, beautiful, betrayed," reports CBS News. "Many wonder, 'why does she stay with him?'" writes a reporter for the L.A. Times. (The NY Post's Cindy Adams is all "so what?"). By all accounts, Silda Wall Spitzer was one of those smart, over-achieving women who awe and inspire. She had a strong maternal figure (her mom insisted she list her profession as "home administrator" rather than "housewife", on her college applications), a successful and lucrative law career (she out-earned her husband as a mergers and acquisitions specialist at a top New York firm) and, in addition to raising three daughters, she founded a philanthropic community service organization. And then the news broke about her husband.

Standing by her husband's side during his press conference was her decision to make, and probably a tough one. But was it the right one? How would you deal with a life-shattering betrayal — when everyone is watching?

Silda (named after a Teutonic goddess) grew up in Concord, NC, attended Meredith, women's college in Raleigh, and went from there to Harvard Law. She met — and married — a fellow Harvard student named Peter Stamos; the marriage lasted 29 days. Later she joined prestigious NYC law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, billing 3,300 hours a year — more than nine hours a day, including weekends. She married Spitzer in 1987 and put her career on hold in 1994. They had two children by then (they currently have three daughters, 17, 15 and 13), which impacted her decision: "I felt very conflicted and emotional about leaving my job," she told Vogue last year. "It was not something I wanted to do, but I have never once doubted that it was the right decision for us. You don't want to give up your dreams, but you also have to confront the reality of your life. Ultimately, it was more important for me to have my family work."

Somewhere along the way, her focus shifted from career achievement to domestic accomplishment. Add that to standing next to her husband as he admits a breach of trust and you've got a recipe that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many women. Writers from the L.A. Times interviewed females from different cities, and of different ages and walks of life. The reaction is the same: Women are ashamed of Silda. "I find it nauseating . . . phony and awful," Leah Schanzer, 38, tells the paper. Her friend Leslie Heller, 47, agrees. "It makes it seem like she's Susie Homemaker. She shouldn't be standing there, next to him." Says Linda Walters, 61: "She should've said, 'This is your fight. This is your battle. You stand there and get yourself out of it.'" "I'd have paraded in front of the microphone with a knife," says Cassandra Horton, 43.

Should a woman who has given up her career for her family stand by that family — including her husband — no matter what? It might make Silda look bad to face the press while holding her husband's hand, but would it look worse if she didn't? Is there bravery in standing by your man, as it were? Or, should Silda, as Dina Matos McGreevy — whose husband announced he was a "Gay American" — writes in today's New York Times, have made the decision to stand by herself and let the man in question face the cameras on his own?

NY First Lady's Charmed Life Slips Away [Breitbart]
Silda Spitzer, The Wife Who Gave Up Career To Back Politics And Ambition [Times]
Stand By Yourself [New York Times]
Gov.'s Wife: Brainy, Beautiful, Betrayed [CBS News]
Wife Puts Troubling Face On The Spitzer Scandal [L.A. Times]
Stay With Shpritzer, Smart Lady [NY Post]

Lauer On Spitzer: Some Political Wives "Become Almost An Appendage Of Their Spouse"

Anna — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Okay kids, we've got another clip from the Today Show featuring more critique of New York governor Eliot Spitzer's indiscretions. This one features Dina Matos, the aggrieved former first lady from New Jersey whose onetime hubby famously cheated on her with another man. Ms. Matos was thoughtful and sensitive during her interview with Today's Matt Lauer, but we can't say the same for the show itself. First off: What was up with the show's split-screen of footage of Ms. Matos and her ex-husband during his public declaration of infidelity, and that of Governor Spitzer and his wife Silda? (Tasteful blue suits on the women! Red striped ties on the men!) It was creepy and unnecessary. Secondly: What the fuck is Matt Lauer talking about? As explanation as to why Silda Wall Spitzer stood by her man, he said, "Some of these political spouses create their own identity based on their spouse's identity...and perhaps they're worried that if they don't stand by that person at that time they somehow lose their own identity." You sort it out. Clip above.

Why Wives Stand By Scandal-Stained Husbands [MSNBC]