Pat Dollard

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NY Times:

Gov. David A. Paterson appeared at the Capitol late on Tuesday afternoon after a day of private meetings at the Executive Mansion in Albany and offered a terse “no” when asked if he felt any pressure to resign in the face of a widening scandal over the embattled governor’s involvement in an abuse case involving an aide.

He ignored another question from a reporter as he and his staff ducked into a back stairway and walked upstairs.

The governor’s cameo came near the end of a day of high-pressure closed-door meetings between the governor and New York Democratic leaders at the Executive Mansion amid feverish speculation about whether, and for how long, Mr. Paterson should remain in his job.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Paterson, saying he was not feeling well, according to a Senate aide, canceled a budget meeting with legislative leaders from both parties amid new calls for his resignation. He called for a special meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday, though the purpose was not immediately clear.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senator John L. Sampson, the leader of the Senate’s Democratic majority, entered the mansion at 11:45 a.m. and emerged at about 1:20 p.m. As he drove slowly past a group of reporters, Mr. Silver said “the topic of resignation did not come up” and declared, “I do not feel that he should resign.”

Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chairman, arrived from Long Island shortly after 1 p.m., and addressed the latest reports that the governor directed two state employees to contact the woman who accused a top Paterson aide of assaulting her. “I don’t think it’s necessarily fatal to his governorship,” Mr. Jacobs said as he entered the mansion. “I think it’s a very tough story. I think that it’s got to be assessed. I think that the question he has to address is, are there any other stories coming?”

Mr. Jacobs departed at 2:10 p.m., saying that he had not advised the governor to resign, but that Mr. Paterson had told him his side of the story, and that he had urged the governor to get it out to the public, perhaps in a news conference.

“The governor needs and deserves the time — there is no rush here — to make his case and get his side out,” Mr. Jacobs said. “He’s going to do that. He absolutely understands the seriousness of the political environment he’s in.” But he cautioned that it was “a political crisis that needs resolution and needs action and cannot be resolved by just letting time fly by.”

Mr. Jacobs said the governor’s mood was sober and businesslike as he explained himself. “The governor needs to demonstrate that he can govern and he needs to answer these allegations — and he has answers for them,” he said. “I did not tell him to resign. I did not get the sense that the governor is considering resignation, that resignation is impending.”

He added: “There is nothing to be served in the governor resigning today, getting his story out tomorrow, and everybody saying to him ‘Oops, maybe you overreacted.’ ”

As Mr. Jacobs left, three Bronx Democrats arrived: Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo and Senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Rubén Díaz Sr., the latter in his trademark black cowboy hat.

A state official confirmed that Mr. Paterson had called a cabinet meeting for Wednesday, summoning dozens of the state’s senior officials — those who run agencies and departments — to a meeting in the Red Room of the Capitol. Such meetings are held every several weeks but are normally run by Lawence Schwartz, the secretary to the governor, and not by Mr. Paterson, who has faced complaints from his own appointees that he is disengaged and rarely seeks their advice or feedback.Mr. Paterson abandoned his campaign for a full term on Friday amid turmoil over his administration’s actions in the domestic violence case, which are being investigated by the state attorney general’s office.

But he has faced mounting pressure from current and former elected officials to either resign or transfer some of his authority, particularly over the budget, to Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch.

Some black lawmakers have questioned whether such calls were motivated by race.

But on Tuesday morning, Karim Camara, a Brooklyn assemblyman who is black, said the governor had thrust those defending him into an almost impossible position, especially as Mr. Paterson’s public statements come into increasing conflict with news accounts of his actions behind the scenes.

“It is very difficult to make a decision on where you stand based on unnamed sources in the media,” Mr. Camara said. “But if this is true — if there is an obstruction of justice against a domestic violence victim — I think the correct thing to do would be for the governor to resign.”

He hastened to add: “That’s not in defense of the governor. I read the story. I found it very troubling. It’s a very difficult position that we’re in. And we don’t have a lot of time. We don’t have weeks. This has to be dealt with immediately. And we need to hear from the governor directly.”

The New York chapter of the National Organization for Women, a leading women’s rights group that once praised Mr. Paterson’s work on violence against women, and an influential player in Democratic politics, also called on the governor to step down Tuesday. It had previously expressed concern about Mr. Paterson’s involvement in the case but stopped short of asking him to leave office.

“This latest news is very disappointing for those of us who believed the governor was a strong advocate for women’s equality and for ending violence against women,” said Marci Pappas, the group’s president. “In spite of the governor’s heretofore excellent record on women’s issues, it is now time for the governor to step down.”

Mr. Paterson’s would-be successor, Mr. Ravitch, expressed support for the governor, telling reporters at the Capitol that he had dinner with Mr. Paterson on Monday night and that resignation had not come up during the discussion.

“I hope very much that he does not resign and that’s all I’ll say at this point,” Mr. Ravitch said. He said he had no desire to take Mr. Paterson’s place, and was not making any preparations to do so.

Mr. Ravitch declined to address the latest report about Mr. Paterson’s intervention in the domestic violence case, saying he had no “independent knowledge of the facts.”

“I think the governor will end up doing what he thinks is best for the state of New York,” Mr. Ravitch said. “I’m not aware of any compelling reason for him to resign at this point.”

Nicholas Confessore and Jeremy Peters contributed reporting.