The governor of Lazio, Piero Marrazzo, has been forced to step down, ostensibly because of poor health, after four police officers attempted to blackmail him with footage of him snorting cocaine with transsexuals.

The police officers had been stupid enough to offer the photos to the print media, including Chi magazine, which is part of the Mondadori group.

The editor of the magazine told Berlusconi, who then warned Marrazzo.

Somewhat improbably, Berlusconi exits best from this whole mess. It is, however, yet another example of Berlusconi’s phenomenal reach over the Italian media, and the degree to which Berlusconi’s subordinates – in this case editor Alfonso Signorini, via Marina Berlusconi – will inform him of what’s going on in their publications.