By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Gov. David Paterson was directly involved in writing a statement to be signed by the alleged victim in a top aide's domestic abuse case saying that she had not been assaulted by the aide, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Sherr-una Booker, the former girlfriend of the governor's aide, David W. Johnson, refused to sign the statement, calling it a "lie" the Times reported.
As the Times was putting the finishing touches on an article about Johnson, Paterson told his press secretary to draft a statement on the woman's behalf, claiming that the altercation between she and Johnson had been unfriendly but not violent and that the charges were being dropped, according to the paper.
The Times did not name the press secretary. Both Peter Kauffmann, who served as Paterson's director of communications, and Marissa Shorenstein, who was the governor's press secretary, have resigned since the scandal erupted.
Booker was emailed the statement through a mutual friend of hers and the governor, the Times said.
Gov. Paterson also communicated with Booker several times in the 10 days preceding her receipt of the statement, according to the paper, including once on Feb. 7, the day before she was scheduled to appear in Family Court about the alleged incident.
The controversy that resulted from Booker's accusations led Paterson to abandon plans for an election campaign in November, a decision that he announced on Feb. 26.
