Paterson admits role in Kennedy withdrawal flap: report [View All]

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Source: Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Gov. David Paterson has acknowledged ordering his staff to deny that Caroline Kennedy had been his first choice following her withdrawal from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as senator, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

But in his first admission to any role in the matter of how Kennedy's withdrawal was portrayed, Paterson told the paper in a telephone interview he had never intended anything on the order of what he termed "character assassination."

Paterson said in the interview on Friday that he was bewildered when members of his staff harshly attacked Kennedy, who was considered a strong candidate to replace Clinton, the then secretary of state nominee.

Rather, Paterson said he meant for them to challenge the Kennedy camp position that she had been his first choice for the job.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090221/ts_nm/us_usa_politics_paterson