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New NY governor admits extramarital affair

March 18, 2008

The new governor of New York who assumed power after his predecessor stepped down in a sex scandal admitted to the New York Daily News that both he and his wife had extramarital affairs years ago.

David Paterson, 53, the former lieutenant governor who was sworn in to replace Eliot Spitzer on Monday, told the Daily News he agreed to speak about his marital difficulties in response to rumors about his private life that had been circulating among reporters in the state capital of Albany.

He flatly denied rumors that he had a child out of wedlock.

He also said top government officials were bound to come under closer scrutiny for their personal actions, especially in light of Spitzer’s resignation, which followed a New York Times report that he was under federal investigation for patronizing a prostitution ring.

“This was a marriage that appeared to be going sour at one point,” Paterson told the Daily News in comments appearing in Tuesday’s editions. “But I went to counseling and we decided that we wanted to make it work. Michelle is well aware of what went on.”

Michelle Paterson, 46, gave a joint interview to the paper with her husband, saying, “Like most marriages, you go through certain difficult periods. What’s important is for your kids to see you worked them out.”

The report said the governor maintained a relationship with an unidentified woman for two or three years until 2001, sometimes staying at a hotel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The paper gave no details of Michelle Paterson’s affair.

The governor, who was a state senator at the time, said he never used state money to pay for the liaisons.

His press office had no immediate comment on the report.

Source: Reuters

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