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More Rain on Paterson's Soggy Parade
March 3rd, 2010

Gov. David Paterson met with his cabinet this morning to assure them that he plans to stick around and get things accomplished.  “I told the staff today that this isn’t an end. This is a beginning,” Paterson told reporters. “There’s a lot of things that we can still accomplish for the people of the state of New York.”

So stiff upper lip and all that. But things aren’t so simple in Patersonland. Not only does the New York Times keep dropping bombshells on Paterson, but he has now been slapped with an ethics violation by the Commission for Public Integrity.

The charges don’t stem from the domestic violence case involving his aide but instead a set of Yankees tickets Paterson accepted to game one of the World Series.  The CPI has charged that Paterson violated the state’s gift ban by accepting the tickets without intending to pay for them.

“The Governor is charged with violating two subsections of the gift ban provisions of the Public Officers Law, each of which carries a maximum penalty of $40,000,” said a release from the CPI. “In addition, he allegedly violated three sections of the State Code of Ethics, including one that prohibits the Governor from using his official position to secure unwarranted privileges, which carries a civil penalty of $10,000.”  Not only is Paterson facing a fine upwards of $60,000 but the CPI has also referred his case to Albany District Attorney David Soares and Attorney Andrew Cuomo because they believe he lied to them under oath.

Paterson claimed that he intended to reimburse the team for the tickets after the press caught wind of the story. Not many people bought that and neither did the CPI.

Here is more from the CPI release:

“There is reasonable cause to believe that the Governor falsely testified under oath that he had always intended to pay for the tickets for his son and his son’s friend, and that before attending the game he had handwritten a check for $850 for ultimate delivery to the New York Yankees as payment for the tickets, when, in fact, the Governor’s intention was to receive and accept the tickets for himself, his son and his son’s friend without paying for them, until a press inquiry after the receipt of the tickets caused the Governor to submit a backdated check as payment for the tickets.”

The initial complaint that started the CPI’s investigation is here.

Oh, and Liz Benjamin reports that his aides are also throwing him under the bus.

By David King on March 3, 2010, 1:32 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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One Response to “More Rain on Paterson's Soggy Parade”

  1. cleanupnynow Says:
    March 4th, 2010 at 1:32 am

    As if things could not get any worse for David Paterson – well things have.

    The Commission on Public Integrity has informed Paterson there is reasonable cause to believe he violated the public officers law last year when he solicited and accepted tickets to the first game of the 2009 World Series at Yankees Stadium

    Worse, the Commission on Public Integrity also found that there is reasonable cause to believe that the governor lied under oath about the matter. This finding indicates that reasonable cause exists to pursue perjury charges against David Paterson.

    First, David Paterson engages in a GROSS ABUSE of office by covering up the violent assault conducted by Mr. Dave Johnson, his top aide, upon Mrs. Sherr-una Booker and UNLAWFULLY intervenes to protect Mr. Johnson from accusations of domestic violence by ordering the state police to deter Mr. Booker from going to court.

    Now we have ethics violations, and lying under oath – PERJURY.

    Is David Paterson for real?

    This UN-ELECTED GOV and all the unqualified, incompetent friends and gal pals – - David Johnson, Clemmie Harris, Michael Jones-Bey, Gabrielle Turner, Indira Noel, Harry Corbitt – he has placed in jobs need to be cleaned out…GET HIM AND THEM OUT NOW.

    The more and more I read of the transgressions by David Paterson and his staff – lying under oath/perjury, the cover-ups, obstruction of justice, ethics violations, blatant lies – the more and more I wish Eliot Spitzer would have just read “The Democratic Conference: Organizational and Operational Structure Report”.

    http://www.politico.com/static/PPM110_demreportfinal.html

    This scathing report indicated that Paterson’s New York State Senate Minority office, headed by the highly inept Michael Jones-Bey, was completely dysfunctional. The unqualified and disinterested Mr. Jones-Bey, a childhood friend of Paterson, who is now incredulously Director of Division of Minority & Women Owned Business Development (DMWBD) at New York State’s Empire State Development Corporation, was reported to be more interested in partying and boozing up with staff than working.

    Looks like Mr. Jones-Bey learned his dysfunctional ways from his boss.

    David Paterson needs to RESIGN NOW and bring his CRONIES with him

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