Gov. Paterson's Communications Director Peter Kauffmann Quits
The scandal engulfing Gov. Paterson claimed another victim: communications director Peter Kauffmann.
Kauffman resigned Thursday afternoon from his $175,000-a-year job, the third person in a week to bolt from the scandal-scarred administration.
"As a former officer in the United States Navy, integrity and commitment to public service are values I take seriously," Kauffmann said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, as recent developments have come to light, I cannot in good conscience continue in my current position."
Paterson's now former criminal justice deputy secretary Denise O'Donnell also said in her resignation letter last week that she could not "in good conscience" continue serving Paterson.
Former state Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt, whose agency is also under investigation, retired Thursday.
A veteran of Hillary Clinton's political operation, Kauffmann joined the administration last March 23.
He was charged with turning around Paterson's press operation and tanking poll numbers in the wake of the U.S. Senate appointment debacle that included the trashing of Caroline Kennedy.
This week alone, Kauffmann was forced to go before investigators for two agencies because of the scandals engulfing Paterson.
On Tuesday, he met with investigators for the state Public Integrity Commission, which was probing whether Paterson illegally solicited and accepted World Series tickets last October from the Yankees.
Kauffman's testimony directly contradicted Paterson's claim that the governor had always intended to pay for the tickets to the World Series game.
Kauffman told investigators that Paterson at first told him that he'd been invited to the game by Yankees President Randy Levine - a claim that was quickly refuted by Levine himself.
Paterson, according to Kauffmann's testimony, then indicated that no payment was necessary because he attended in his official capacity.
The governor also made no mention of having written a check for the tickets or wanting to pay for the tickets used by his son and his son's friend Meanwhile, Kauffmann on Wednesday was brought before investigators for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who are probing whether the governor and state police tried to improperly influence a woman who claimed a top Paterson aide brutally assaulted her on Halloween night.
Press secretary Marissa Shorenstein, who is close to Kauffmann, has also met with Cuomo's investigators.
Paterson is said to have asked Shorenstein to contact the woman and ask her to say there was no violence involved.
Those close to Shorenstein say she was duped by the governor.
She was under the belief that there was no physical assault but simply a bad break-up between the woman, Sherr-una Booker, and the aide, Charles Johnson.
The Daily News reported earlier this week that Paterson's staff told the governor it would no longer issue statements on his behalf regarding the scandal.
They told him such comments should be made through a lawyer.
View Larger Map
Sources: NY Daily News, Google Maps
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment