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Boo or Woo!? Little Evidence Against Paterson in AG Probe
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
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Although the Attorney General's probe is not yet complete, sources tell the Daily News that investigators "have found little direct evidence" that Governor Paterson illegally interfered in a domestic abuse case against one of his top aides, David Johnson. Sherr-una Booker, who tried to get an order of protection against Johnson after he allegedly assaulted her on Halloween, has told investigators that "she didn't feel the governor threatened her" during a phone conversation on February 7th, one day before she effectively dropped her legal action against Johnson.
"It's a very difficult witness tampering case to make against Paterson," one source tells the News. It's also said that the conversations that the State Police and others had with Booker were too "vague" to hold up in court as tampering. The AG's case is further complicated by the fact that Paterson is legally blind and therefore doesn't use e-mail, which is often a crucial source of evidence in such cases. "You need an explicit or implicit threat, like, 'Don't show up in court,'" famous defense lawyer Ron Kuby tells the News. "Or you need some sort of explicit gift, like, 'Here's your new car - the tank is full, the witness chair better be empty.' ...There is no evidence Paterson has done either of those things."
Paterson and Johnson are expected to give testimony in the next couple of weeks. The Governor continues to keep his lips sealed on the investigation, but appearing on WOR's "The John Gambling Show" this morning, he admitted that the latest State Police chief to resign, Pedro Perez, was actually forced out. Paterson said his top choice for the job, after former Chief Harry Corbitt quit on March 3rd, was always State Police Field Commander John Melville, who is now in charge. "The person that we wanted was John Melville and that was the way we were able to bring him in," Paterson said on air.
Meanwhile, The Empire State is staring down the barrel of a $9 billion budget gap. And Paterson' dad, 83-year-old former New York secretary of state Basil A. Paterson, is sad! "It’s been very difficult for Basil to watch this happen to his son," Harold Ickes, a Democratic consultant, tells the Times.
Tagged
attorney general
david johnson
investigation
paterson
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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