Scandal stricken NY Gov. drops out of election bid
New York Gov. David Paterson announced Friday that he will not seek election in the fall, after allegations involving him and a top aide.
Gov. Paterson faces allegations that he and the state police interfered with a domestic violence case against a longtime aide.
In a press conference on Friday afternoon, he announced that he was withdrawing from the election campaign.
There are times in politics when you have to know not to strive for service but to step back. That moment has come for me, Paterson said at a Friday afternoon press conference.
The embattled governor insists he will serve out the remainder of his two year term in office.
There are 308 days left in my term. I will serve every one of them fighting for the people of New York.
The New York Times published several critical stories about Paterson's longtime aide, David Johnson. In the last story, questions were raised about the governor's role in dealing with a woman involved in a domestic dispute with the aide.
Court papers indicate that state police may have pressured the woman to not pursue criminal charges against Johnson. The Times also said Paterson spoke with the woman, although the governor's office said it was the woman who initiated contact.
Paterson was elected lieutenant governor in November 2006 and became governor in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.