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On The TODAY Show Monday, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned from office last year after becoming embroiled in a call-girl scandal that rocked the nation, spoke of his regret over the “excruciating pain” he caused his family, and why he opposes the bail-out.

“This is something that has caused excruciating pain to [my wife] and my daughters,” the 49-year-old Spitzer said in a interview with Matt Lauer this morning. “It’s something that I carry with me every day because of the pain I’ve caused. And so I’ve tried to balance: The obligation to speak is vast, but also the pain to my family has been enormous.”