New York Gov. David Paterson and his advisers made errors of judgment in handling of a domestic violence case involving a top aide, but their actions were not criminal, retired judge Judith Kaye, who investigated the case, said yesterday. Witnesses testified that a senior Paterson adviser and a top state police official tried to discourage the woman who was making the accusations from pursuing legal action against the aide, David Johnson, says the New York Times.
Paterson personally urged the woman, Sherr-una Booker, to help him contain any political fallout from the episode, Kaye’s report shows, and even called her after he asked the attorney general to investigate the matter for possible criminal prosecution. Those contacts did not rise to a criminal charge of witness tampering, the report said, because the governor did not specifically try to prevent Booker from testifying or making an appearance in court.
