Paterson's nonexistent scandal
Beckah Cruz
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: News
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Beginning in early February, news sources, such as The Huffington Post, reported on an upcoming New York Times article, which was said to be a "bombshell story" about Paterson's private life. The Huffington Post speculated that this scandal could be "the final nail in Paterson's campaign coffin," but it was clear that the specifics of the scandal were unknown.
The Huffington Post did surmise that the New York Times article might have been connected to the recent incident in which the Governor was reportedly seen "snuggling" and "embracing" a woman other than his wife. Meanwhile, Frederic U. Dicker said in The New York Post that the scandal might have been regarding "Paterson's decision to award a gaming contract to a rather questionable outfit, whose political support he has been courting."
As rumors continued throughout the month, newspapers continued to deliberate about Paterson's "sex scandal," while also stating that Paterson was soon to resign.
Elizabeth Benjamin at The Daily News was repeatedly cited as stating that Paterson's rumored affair was "far worse than his acknowledged extramarital affair with a former state employee."
On February 10, 2010, Business First Buffalo stated that Paterson was in fact not resigning, but instead working to "extinguish a frenzy of rumors about his personal life."
Paterson states that his children support his decision to fight these rumors; they've told him: "Don't give up. Even if you're being ridiculed, slandered; you're a person of character."
While the widespread rumors about Paterson have caused a frenzy of questions in the media and Albany, Paterson states that he is not going anywhere. He declared in Business First Buffalo, "the more frustrated I get, the more I know I'm going to be running [for re-election]."
When The New York Times article was finally published on February 16, the focus was not on Paterson's private life or contracts, but instead on David Johnson, Paterson's bodyguard. The article reviewed Johnson's personal life, calling into question his character and job.
On February 18, 2010, Paterson gave the media his view on the situation in The Daily News, stating that the article only focused on one of his assistants because the reporters couldn't find any information on him.
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