Paterson: I Had Affairs With Several Women
New York Gov. David Paterson said on Tuesday that in the past he had affairs with several women, including a state employee.Speaking to reporters in Albany with his wife, Michelle, standing next to him, Paterson said, "I betrayed a commitment to my wife several years ago."Survey: Will Paterson Be Able To Govern? Special Section: Spitzer Scandal Paterson said he had the extramarital relationships at a time when his marriage hit a rough spot."I was angry, I was jealous, and I exercised poor judgment," he said.The admission to reporters came a day after disclosing at least one extramarital affair. On Monday, his first day in office, Paterson told The Daily News he had an affair during a rough patch in his marriage between 1999 until 2001.Paterson said he and his wife decided to admit the affairs to the public after talking it over."The reason that we would tell the truth," he said, "was that the citizens of New York would know that if we were confronted with the truth, we would be honest."Despite the admission, Paterson was adamant that love remains in his marriage."We were very much in love with each other when we got married, and we're very much in love with each other now," he said.Paterson said he broke no laws -- criminal or campaign finance -- and never advanced the career of the one state employee with whom he had an affair. None of the women have business before the state and no public or campaign money was spent on the affairs, he said. He said is not involved in an affair now.Paterson said he provided the information to The Daily News in an attempt to end rumors about the affair.He said he didn't reveal the affairs as a senator, Senate minority leader or lieutenant governor because no one had asked him and he came forward because he didn't want the rumors to cloud his governorship.Paterson rose from the lieutenant governor's office after Eliot Spitzer resigned last week amid allegations that he hired a call girl from a high-priced escort service.The Patersons said both had affairs during a time when their marriage was headed toward divorce. But they admitted the affairs, sought counseling and have built a stronger marriage and family, both Patersons said."I do not feel I have broken my commitment to the citizens of New York state," said Paterson, who is legally blind and New York's first black governor.But Paterson said it was time to make the infidelities public so the information couldn't be used to try to compromise him as governor."I didn't want to be blackmailed," he said.Paterson's wife answered questions directed to her."We dealt with it as a family," she said. "A marriage has peaks and valleys ... no marriage is perfect.""I think we have a marriage like many Americans, maybe even like many of you," the governor told reporters. "Elected officials are really just reflections of the people we represent."Paterson's rise followed a dramatic plunge for Spitzer, who was elected with an overwhelming share of the vote and who had vowed to root out corruption at the state Capitol.Federal prosecutors must still decide whether to pursue charges against Spitzer. The married father of three teenage girls was accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars on prostitutes -- including one in Washington the night before Valentine's Day.Assembly Democratic Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, said Tuesday he doesn't believe Paterson was weakened by the disclosure that he and his wife had affairs, he doesn't think it affects the ability to get things done in Albany and the story should be over."This Albany press corps was in a feeding frenzy, looking for anything they could do to find it," Silver said. "And basically what David Paterson did was say, 'Stop bothering people. Here's the story. And that's it."'Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Paterson's personal life is Paterson's business only as long as it doesn't interfere with how he governs. He said he expects Paterson to continue to handle himself properly, and the important thing now is to finish a budget.
