Paterson Pal Talks to Police in Abuse Scandal

The New York Times tightened the screws on David Paterson today, with yet another report detailing the governor’s alleged role in covering up a domestic abuse incident for a senior aide. An editorial calls it "gross abuse of office" and urges him to resign unless he can clear himself. A Times source says that Deneane Brown, a friend to both Paterson and Sherr-una Booker, the woman accusing the aide of domestic abuse, has spilled the beans to investigators, telling them that the governor used her as a go-between to pressure Booker.

According to the source, Brown said that Paterson told her to relate a message to Booker: “Tell her the governor wants her to make this go away.” Brown later set up a phone conversation between Paterson and Booker. The next day, Booker missed a court appearance, and the case was dismissed. It’s the most explicit description yet of Paterson’s involvement, and comes amid ever-louder calls for his resignation. A Times editorial called it a "sordid" tale, noting that neither the governor nor any of his aides should have been talking to Booker.
(More David Paterson stories.)