N.Y. governor: State employee among my several affairs
New York's newly minted governor says he had affairs with several women, including a state employee. The admission comes a day after Gov. David Paterson was inaugurated and disclosed at least one extramarital affair to reporters. Paterson and his wife Michelle spoke at a press conference Tuesday about the infidelity in their marriage. On Monday, after his inauguration, Paterson and his wife acknowledged the relationships but did not provide details. Paterson told the Daily News he had an affair during a rough patch in his marriage between 1999 until 2001. Paterson has said he received counseling and the couple rebuilt the marriage. "This was a marriage that appeared to be going sour at one point," Paterson told the Daily News. "But I went to counseling and we decided we wanted to make it work. Michelle is well aware of what went on." "Like most marriages, you go through certain difficult periods," Michelle Paterson added. "What's important is for your kids to see you worked them out." The couple agreed to speak publicly about their marriage in response to rumors about Paterson's personal life that have been swirling in Albany since Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned, the Daily News reported Monday on its Web site. Paterson rose from the lieutenant governor's office after Spitzer resigned last week amid allegations that he hired a call girl from a high-priced escort service. 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. Paterson has been hailed as a politician of integrity and a man who can build consensus in Albany after a tumultuous year under Spitzer. The Patersons have two children, a 19-year-old student at Ithaca College who is from his wife's previous marriage, and a 14-year-old who attends public school in New York City. |
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