Top New York Official Resigns In Wake of Paterson Revelation

2 years ago

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The New York official who oversees the State Police has resigned after reports that Gov. David Paterson allegedly intervened in a domestic violence case involving one of his aides.

Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise E. O'Donnell, a member of Paterson's cabinet, issued a statement Thursday to The New York Times:

"The fact that the Governor and members of the State Police have acknowledged direct contact with a woman who had filed for an order of protection against a senior member of the Governor's staff is a very serious matter," she wrote. "These actions are unacceptable regardless of their intent."

The case involved David Johnson, 37, who once worked as Paterson's driver and scheduler and now serves as a senior adviser. According to the Times, a woman sought a protective court order against Johnson, who she said had assaulted her.

The woman 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 and soon after the case was dismissed.

"The behavior alleged here is the antithesis of what many of us have spent our entire careers working to build... a legal system that protects victims of domestic violence and brings offenders to justice," O'Donnell wrote.

O'Donnell also wrote that New York's police superintendent, Harry Corbitt, had misled her about the State Police's involvement in the case.

Paterson had called for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo – whom Paterson trails in re-election polls – to investigate "any allegation of improper influence."

A statement from Cuomo's office Thursday acknowledged the probe: "The Governor has formally referred to this Office a matter for investigation and this Office is proceeding to determine if criminal or other wrongdoing is involved."

The growing scandal was likely to lead to calls for Paterson to step down, or at least suspend his campaign.

"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."

Filed Under: Democrats, Scandal, Investigations, Governors

Tagged: Daily Guidance, DailyGuidance, David Paterson, DavidPaterson, Denise E. ODonnell, DeniseE.Odonnell, New York, NewYork

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