David Paterson Said to Have Intervened in Domestic Violence Case Against Aide

2 years ago

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Gov. David Paterson of New York allegedly intervened in a domestic violence case involving one of his aides, The New York Times reports, a charge that imperils Paterson's already-tottering political career.

The case involved David Johnson, who once worked as Paterson's driver and scheduler and now serves as a senior adviser. Johnson, 37, has a history of altercations with women. According to the Times, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by Johnson, seeking a protective order against him.

The woman later returned to court on two occasions to press her case, complaining that the State Police had pressured her to drop it. The State Police have confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor's personal security detail. According to her lawyer, she then received a phone call from the governor. Afterward, on Feb. 8, she failed to appear for her next hearing on the case and the matter was dismissed.

In response, Paterson called for New York's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo – whom Paterson trails in re-election polls – to investigate "any allegation of improper influence." In a statement, the governor also said Johnson would be suspended without pay.

"If these allegations are true that [Paterson] directly intervened in a criminal investigation, I don't think there's any way he can recover from this," political consultant Scott Levenson told Politico. "There's going to be an increasingly loud drumbeat within the Democratic Party for David Paterson not to seek re-election."

According to the Times, the alleged assault happened on Halloween in the apartment the woman shared with Johnson and her 13-year-old son. She told the police that Johnson, who is 6-foot-7, choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a dresser and took telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help.

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