Gov. Eliot Spitzer and each of his parents kicked in about $16,000 a piece to pay off Mark Green's outstanding campaign debts, which he incurred while unsuccessfully running for Spitzer's old job as Attorney General in 2006. The $50,000 in payments exceed the Governor's self-imposed limit of contributions of $10,000, but he's making an exception because this is to pay off a past campaign debt, so is not really a campaign contribution. Plus, he and Green are old pals, with the latter acting as a vocal supporter of the Governor during his first year in office, when vocal supporters were in short supply.

Mr. Green said that he and the governor “have been friends for years, and this is what friends do for each other.” He said there was nothing untoward about accepting donations from Mr. Spitzer on the one hand and speaking out in support of him on the other.

“We’re friends and admirers, therefore we help each other out politically,” he added. “Now that he’s the governor and I’m not, it’s very thoughtful and I appreciate that he would help me retire a debt.”