I don't think there's any coming back from this one for Gov. Paterson:
Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man.
In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it. The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor’s personal security detail.
Then, just before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer. She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed.
Not only that, it looks like his aide's assault was absolutely brutal:
The alleged assault happened shortly before 8 p.m. on Halloween in the apartment she had shared with Mr. Johnson and her 13-year-old son for about four years, according to police records.
She told the police that Mr. Johnson, who is 6-foot-7, had choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a mirrored dresser and taken two telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help, according to police records.
The woman was twice granted a temporary order of protection against Mr. Johnson, according to the proceedings in Family Court in the Bronx.
"I’m scared he’s going to come back," she said, according to the proceedings, in which a court referee at the initial hearing noted bruises on the woman’s arm.
"I’m glad you’re doing this," the woman told the referee, "because I thought it was going to be swept under the table because he’s like a government official, and I have problems even calling the police because the state troopers kept calling me and harassing me to drop the charges, and I wouldn’t."
She added, "I’ve never been through this before."
Two days later, the woman was back in Family Court, and the order of protection was kept in place. And she again asserted that she had been pressured by the State Police.
"The State Police contacted me because they didn’t want me to get an order of protection or press charges or anything," she told the court.
My guess is that he resigns within the month, if that. If true, this is truly an awful story, not only for his political future but also for his moral fiber.
If true, Paterson's truly a sick bastard.
My question is, who replaces him? Could it be a Republican?
Also this is not the first time the state police has been involved in doing personal and political favors for the Governor (see the state police's actions under Spitzer).
In any case, look for the near-term demise of David Paterson's governorship. Say hello to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, finally.