I can see that he wanted to protect his father. An honest response would have been, "I received money from family and I have no desire to put them in public spotlight." When a politician lies, alarm bells go off in my head. What else is he hiding? It looks like the past caught up with Eliot Spitzer.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus