Gov. David Paterson said Friday that he revealed his past marital affairs once he took office in part because he had heard that a rogue group of state police was investigating politicians.Paterson said that he had no proof, but that "over 10" lawmakers from both parties statewide told him about traffic stops and leaks by police to news organizations about brushes with the law.
"I don't know that that's actually the case. These are things that are said to me," the Democrat told reporters after his initial comments on a radio show earlier in the day.
"That was also on my mind when I made my own personal revelations," Paterson told WFAN-AM sports radio in Manhattan. "There was obviously an element in the police force and it wasn't Republican or Democrat, it was just out-of-control people who had power that were clearly monitoring a lot of the elected officials, and I was kind of afraid of leaks of inaccurate information about something, and that was another thing that pushed me to speak."Paterson took office March 17, replacing former Democrat Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned amid a prostitution scandal.
At the time, Paterson said his extraordinary revelations that he had affairs with women years ago when his marriage was in trouble was in reaction to legislators' concerns and a report in the New York Post. He has since reconciled with his wife.
But on Friday, Paterson said he also knew about the supposed rogue troopers. Paterson has requested an investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on whether state police were keeping tabs on elected officials.
"He found enough unusual circumstances to look into it," Paterson said.
State police spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner said Friday state police would cooperate fully.
Spitzer's administration was dogged by a scandal in which top aides instructed to state police to compile — and in some cases, re-create — records tracking the travels of Spitzer's chief political rival.
