Black leaders to meet on Paterson's fate

Black leaders to meet on Paterson's fate

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The Rev. Al Sharpton is convening a group of black Democratic leaders who could urge Gov. David Paterson, who is embroiled in two misconduct scandals, to resign, a party adviser told The Associated Press on Thursday. The meeting is set for Thursday night at a restaurant in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood and follows a flurry of calls overnight in which many of the leaders reconsidered their support for Paterson. Those calls were also voiced in a similar summit Saturday in Harlem. The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The adviser said Sharpton is expected to say he's rethinking his support for New York's first black governor. The news about the Manhattan meeting contrasted with a statement Thursday by an organization of black police officers who stepped up to show support for Paterson. The group, 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, urged an end to what it called a "rush to judgment." Still, the damage was mounting in the wake of the scandal plaguing Paterson over contact he and others in his administration had with a woman who had accused a top aide of domestic violence. At issue is whether Paterson or others urged the woman to drop her complaint. Paterson was also accused Wednesday of breaking ethics laws when he sought and obtained free Yankees tickets for the 2009 World Series and then may have lied about his intention to pay for them, according to a state report. He faces penalties of nearly $100,000, and the case was referred to the Albany County prosecutor's office and the state attorney general for possible criminal investigation into whether Paterson or anyone else gave false answers to questions by the Public Integrity Commission or backdated a check to pay for the tickets. "The drum beat is awfully loud right now and not getting quieter," Lee Miringoff of the Marist College poll said Wednesday. He noted that the Yankees tickets case is clearer, and therefore potentially more of a threat to Paterson's job. The ethics charge isn't directly related to the scandal over the aide. But the panel said the aide, David Johnson, was one of Paterson's four guests, along with Paterson's son and a son's friend, getting tickets for the Oct. 28 World Series game provided by the Yankees. Four days later, also in the Bronx, Johnson was accused of domestic violence by his then-girlfriend, a case that now threatens Paterson's job and administration. But the ticket scandal may ultimately be more damaging to the governor, especially given the timing. "I, at all times, upheld the oath of my office and never at any point attempted to influence or coerce anyone to do anything they didn't want to do," Paterson told reporters Wednesday, saying he intends to fight the ethics charge. Paterson told investigators that he always intended to pay the $850 for tickets for his son and the son's friend. They were paid for with a postdated check, and the governor paid for them only when confronted by a reporter for The New York Post, the report said. WATCH REV. AL SHARPTON DISCUSS PATERSON'S FUTURE ON MSNBC'S 'HARDBALL' HERE:

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In the other case, the office of state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating whether Paterson or anyone from his staff or security detail influenced the woman's decision not to press charges after she told police that Johnson roughed her up. "My side of the story will not be unsourced, it will not be in inaccurate, it will be the truth," Paterson said Wednesday, taking a swipe at some media reports. The governor's chief of staff, Lawrence Schwartz, has said the fiscal crisis is Paterson's top priority. "The governor is the governor," Schwartz said Wednesday. "He's in charge." _Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed._