INSTANT VIEW: NY Gov. Spitzer resigns after sex scandal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a pugnacious former prosecutor who built a career on pursuing financial and organized crime with a tone of moral rectitude, resigned on Wednesday after being embroiled in a prostitution scandal.

Here is reaction to his announcement, which was shown live by several television networks:

MICHAEL METZ, CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, OPPENHEIMER &

CO. IN NEW YORK

"It's a great personal tragedy ... To read anything more into it as far as an impact on the market is ridiculous."

"He was the great avenger. He was standing for the little people ... Wall Street is enjoying he got his comeuppance."

"Of all the people that I can think of in the political arena, he's been the one who has exacted the greatest toll on Wall Street in the shortest amount of time."

THOMAS DINAPOLI, DEMOCRATIC STATE COMPTROLLER

"The public trust has been violated yet again. Everyone in public office must work to repair that trust and restore the people's confidence in government."

MALCOLM SMITH, SENATE DEMOCRATIC MINORITY LEADER

"The governor's resignation is appropriate. Eliot Spitzer has to take care of his family now and we must move forward and continue to govern and serve the 19 million people of this state."

JOSEPH BRUNO, REPUBLICAN SENATE MAJORITY LEADER

"We have a terribly unfortunate circumstance that exists. People have to deal with their own lives."

"This has been a distraction of proportion we have never seen."

"We are moving forward, we are going to move forward with this budget in a timely way."

GREGORY SALVAGGIO, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRADING, TEMPUS