Posted on 03/20/2008 6:41:24 PM PDT by jdm
Maybe there’s something in the drinking water in Albany. New York has gone through one gubernatorial sex scandal just to land in the middle of another. What appeared to be limited to simply a personal issue with incoming Governor David Paterson has now blossomed into an issue of potential electoral misappropriation of funds. Paterson now admits that he may have used campaign funds to pay for his extramarital trysts — and you’re not going to believe how he categorized the expense:
Gov. Paterson admitted Wednesday he may have improperly billed his campaign for at least one hotel tryst with a girlfriend.
The hotel tryst was apparently listed as “constituent services.”
A Daily News review found that in a handful of other campaign expenditures, Paterson may have used campaign funds to cover personal expenses and misstated their purpose in public disclosure forms.
The records also show he made reimbursements, but he acknowledged he may have failed to pony up in one instance.
Constituent services? Well, perhaps Paterson wanted some truth in accounting.
After the departure of Eliot Spitzer for hiring high-priced prostitutes, New York had hoped to settle into a calmer political period with the mild-mannered Paterson at the helm. He shocked the state by immediately admitting to several affairs a few years earlier, when his marriage had foundered. The disclosure intended to get past the rumors that had run in the capital and eliminating a source of distraction for the transition.
Now, though, it looks like New York has a bigger headache. Using campaign funds for personal use is as illegal as hiring prostitutes; both of them are misdemeanors. Paterson’s offense will not likely cause him to step down, though, because as the Daily News reports, every politician in Albany has probably committed the same crime. They may not have paid for hotel expenses for paramours, but the purpose matters little to the commission of the crime.
So here’s a question for the New York political structure: if all of you are using campaign funds for personal expenses, why not just make it legal? One answer is that it destroys the firewall between campaign contributions and personal kickbacks, which is why the law exists in the first place. It’s good to know that the people New York voters elect to pass and enforce laws don’t seem to have trouble ignoring them, especially when they ignore the laws that specifically apply to themselves, which they themselves pass to make themselves appear clean.
Sounds like presidential material on the DNC side!
Okay, who’s got popcorn?
Joe Bruno for governor!
Awwwww....
...so let me get this straight - They dumped the white scumbag for a worse, untouchable (due to race) black scumbag?
No way this guy is going to retire, now that he has it made.
As part of that relationship, Paterson said, he and the other woman sometimes stayed at an upper West Side hotel — the Days Inn at Broadway and W. 94th St. ...He and his wife went to the West Side Days Inn when they were trying to rekindle the romance in their marriage, he said.
The Paterson Campaign Suite at The West Side Days Inn - "The Love Shack"
There's no record of a Kirton donation to McCall. .....it's illegal to make a so-called "pass-through" political donation on behalf of another because it masks the identity of the donor.
The News also found Paterson's campaign paid a $1,400 American Express bill dated March 30, 2004, for "constituent services." On June 3, 2004, Paterson reimbursed the campaign.
“The Love Shack” - HA!
Last of the big spenders I see.
Kirton, 49, of White Plains, is the only woman whose name has been confirmed by Albany sources. She hasn’t responded to calls for comment, and co-workers said they didn’t see her yesterday at her $150,000-a-year job in Paterson’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs...”
The service provider sucks-up $150K salary THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE all the "benefits" she can scarf up---authorized and unauthorized. Betcha Paterson gave Miss Jumpstart more than a few "performance" bonuses, salary enhancements, expense accounts, state credit card, clothing allowances, free health care........all courtesy of NY taxpayers.
She hasn't responded to calls for comment, and co-workers said they didn't see her yesterday at her $150,000-a-year job in Paterson's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Probably has paid "leave time"....that means when the heat is on she gets to leave her job with pay for however long it takes to hideout from the hard questions.
It was campaign money!
“At least he was prudent in his indiscretion and did his corruption bargain basement.”
You’re right about that. I guess I was thinking more about the reconciling with his wife part.
Hell - Detroit's black Mayor has been caught dead to rights trying to cover up sex, perjury and MURDER.
So far it has cost the city MILLIONS in civil judgments awarded to FIRED Police who were investigating the Mayor's sex life as a result of a “lady” found murdered after “performing” at the Mayor's party.........
Detroit's pimp daddy Mayor has ALREADY been proved an Adulterer, "Porking" the hired staff, Liar, Guilty of Perjury, obstructing Justice, wrongful termination to stop an investigation into his “personal life”, etc, etc.......AND possible involvement in the murder of the “lady” “entertainer”....
He just went on television and charged his critics with RACISM and discrimination against him because he's black...
Well, if blacks allow this POS to define “black” — they deserve all the grief they're constantly complaining about....
Busy little beaver hunter isn’t he?
The NJ three-way revelations beocme more & more understandable.
It takes one of each to have official sex: A prostitute, a polititute, and a presstitute.
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