Earlier today, David Paterson got a huge break. In all likelihood, he won't be indicted with witness tampering in a domestic violence case involving one of his former aides.
the judge, Judith S. Kaye, the former chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, found that Mr. Paterson had made substantial errors of judgment in repeatedly contacting the victim in the case during and after the fight with his aide, but that his actions did not rise to the level of witness tampering or any related criminal offense.
Ms. Kaye was asked to take over the investigation in April by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, who recused himself from the case.
The imbroglio over this case, for those who don't recall, drove Paterson out of the Democratic primary for governor and effectively handed the nomination to Cuomo.
Kaye, however, did recommend that the aide, David Johnson, face criminal charges. She referred her findings to the Bronx DA.
The report is pretty critical of Paterson's conduct, finding it "hard to reconcile" with his stated commitment to ending domestic violence. While it found the commander of Paterson's state police detail engaged in inappropriate conduct, it cleared the state police of wrongdoing.
Paterson isn't out of the legal woods yet, however. He still faces an investigation into how he obtained 2009 World Series tickets.