Fifty-three-year-old New York Governor David Paterson has sprung another revelation by admitting to snorting cocaine and marijuana when he was in his 20s.
New York, Mar.25 : Fifty-three-year-old New York Governor David Paterson has sprung another revelation by admitting to snorting cocaine and marijuana when he was in his 20s.
Governor Paterson admitted to this on Monday night, according to a New York Daily News report.
Paterson has already admitted to cheating on his wife, Michelle, and to making some questionable uses of campaign money.
He revealed his use of drugs during a rapid-fire Question and Answer session with New York 1 anchor Dominic Carter.
Carter couched the question by noting that he had asked Eliot Spitzer and his Democratic primary challenger, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, in 2006 if they had ever smoked pot.
He then turned to Paterson and asked whether he had ever used drugs - not pot specifically, but drugs in general.
Paterson replied: "Actually Dominic, I was in the audience that night, and was asked the same question . . . and I answered in the affirmative."
Marijuana? "Yes," Paterson replied.
Cocaine? "Yes . . . I think I was about 22 or 23. I tried it a couple of times."
Carter pressed whether that was the only time.
"Yeah, around that time, a couple of times and marijuana, probably, when I was about 20," Paterson responded. "I don't think I touched marijuana since the late 70s."
Carter also attempted to grill Paterson about the details of his extramarital affairs, but the governor bristled.
"I don't want to get into a feeding frenzy. I'm not interested in talking about the specifics of a situation that I think is well-understood by your viewers."
Paterson said the affairs came during a period when he was "separated" from his wife, Michelle - though not legally.
Asked if he was being less than forthcoming about his affairs, Paterson said, "I don't know what I'm lying about. I said I had problems in my marriage, and that's the truth."
Pressed whether he used taxpayer or campaign funds to pay for his trysts, Paterson bristled.
"There isn't even an allegation that I spent any taxpayer money on these affairs. I did not. No I didn't. I didn't even spend campaign money on these affairs."
He said he was "happy" he and his wife have reconciled, sparing their two children the trauma of divorce.
ANI