Gov. Paterson Suspends Aide

[cali]

By JACOB GERSHMAN

New York Gov. David Paterson Wednesday said he has suspended a top aide accused of beating up a woman last fall and called for an investigation into the woman's allegation that the State Police pressured her to drop her charges.

Mr. Paterson said he has suspended the aide, David W. Johnson, without pay and asked Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to look into her claim that she was repeatedly harassed by state troopers while seeking a temporary order of protection against the 37-year-old Mr. Johnson, a former driver and one of the governor's closest confidantes.

The woman's accusations against Mr. Johnson and the police were made through her lawyer and previously reported by The New York Times, which did not disclose her name. Her effort to seek a restraining order against Mr. Johnson was dismissed after she failed to appear at a hearing on Feb. 8, according to the Times, which reported that Mr. Paterson called and briefly spoke with her days before the scheduled hearing.

"Because of the seriousness of these allegations, and the sensitive role of this staff member in my Administration, I am asking the Attorney General to investigate the matter to ensure in the public's mind that a comprehensive and independent inquiry has been conducted," Mr. Paterson said in a statement.

The allegations against Mr. Paterson -- a former lieutenant governor who came to office following the resignation of Eliot Spitzer -- come less than a week after he announced his plans to run for governor.

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