Report: NY Democrats Tell Paterson It's Time To Go

After last night's bombshell report that Paterson allegedly had state employees contact the woman involved in a domestic violence case against one of his top aides, resignation is simply a matter of time.

Now it looks like state Democratic leaders think the time is now.

Democratic Party officials are putting pressure on New York Gov. David A. Paterson to resign from office as additional details emerge about his alleged effort to intervene in a domestic-violence case involving a senior aide.

The state Democratic chairman, Jay Jacobs, headed to Albany Tuesday morning to meet with Mr. Paterson and encourage him to step aside, according to a source. Mr. Jacobs declined to comment, as did the Paterson administration.

Mr. Paterson suspended his campaign for governor Friday but said he is determined to complete the remaining 10 months of his term. Democrats are urging him to transfer power to his lieutenant governor, Richard Ravitch, whom Mr. Paterson appointed last year.

The scandal erupted last week when it was reported by the New York Times that the governor and a member of his security detail had reached out to a woman who had been seeking a protection order against David Johnson, a senior administration aide whom the governor has since suspended without pay.

Slublog emailed me earlier with this about the possibility of criminal charges against Paterson and wondering about the process of removing the Governor. Impeachment is more or less the same in NY as it is at the federal level...the lower house (the Assembly) impeaches and the upper house (the Senate) holds a trial. I doubt the legislature will get its act together to do this but my guess is they won't have to.

It's a question of when, not if, Paterson resigns. My money is on by the end of the week.

posted by DrewM. at 12:58 PM

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