It started two weeks ago, when Paterson joined the chorus of people declaring that the Park51 Islamic community center proposed for lower Manhattan be moved. He even said the state would help them find and buy a new location, further away from the World Trade Center site (not necessarily out of "sensitivity," but more in order to make the angry people shut up -- a noble, completely misguided goal). The only problem with this plan is that it made no sense and was probably unconstitutional.

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Rangel's birthday party is always a well-attended party, but most years the longtime congressman is not facing multiple ethics charges. Rangel's campaign sent out a memo claiming that Senator Chuck Schumer and would-be Governor Andrew Cuomo will both be speaking at the gala at the Plaza Hotel. But neither Cuomo nor Schumer have confirmed their attendence.

It actually sounds like a pretty kick-ass party:

Rep. Joe Crowley is to introduce the “master of ceremonies” Gov. David Paterson, who briefly wavered about sticking to his agreement to participate, but apparently is back on board. Other speakers include: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Mayor Bloomberg, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Paterson is, according to this memo, to acknowledge the presence of former NYC Mayor David Dinkins and his father, ex-state Secretary of State Basil Paterson. And then Rangel speaks. Dionne Warwick will take the stage after the congressman, and then do a “Happy Birthday” duet with Chuck Jackson.

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Paterson said today that he does not have a problem with the plan to build an Islamic center called Cordoba House near ground zero, but because of the outcry against it he made this offer: "if the sponsors were looking for property anywhere at a distance that would be such that it would accommodate a better feeling among the people who are frustrated, I would look into trying to provide them with the state property they would need."

But, said Boston University School of Law professor Jay Wexler, if Paterson is proposing donating state land for a mosque or selling the land at a discount, the plan could be successfully challenged in court. "They're really giving government aid to religion -- the aid is the break betwen fair market value and whatever they're selling it for. That's almost like they're giving a bunch of money to mosque," said Wexler, author of a book on church-state legal battles.

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Paterson told WOR Radio on Thursday that he was the first to say he had a conversation with Sherr-una Booker. She is a former girlfriend of David Johnson, an aide now on leave from the executive office.

Booker later failed to show for a hearing in the case against Johnson, resulting in its dismissal. Paterson says he didn't urge her to drop the complaint.

Paterson didn't say which media outlet he spoke with.

The New York Times first reported on the abuse report and the conversation. It posted a story on its Web site Thursday disputing Paterson's comments.

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Common Cause Executive Director Susan Lerner said Friday that Paterson is unable to fully focus on the state's fiscal crisis because he's ensnared in two scandals that threaten his job.

Lerner says that Paterson deserves due process but that the state budget and deficit require full attention.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating whether Paterson illegally contacted a woman who had accused a top aide of domestic violence. The state's ethics commission has charged Paterson with violating a gift ban.

A Paterson spokesman says the governor is working on budget issues despite the scandals. He met with legislative leaders this week.

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Communications director Peter Kauffmann is the third key person to flee Gov. David Paterson's scandal-marred administration in two weeks.

Kauffmann says he cannot continue in the administration plagued by the scandals that threaten the jobs of Paterson and those he directed.

His testimony and e-mails were critical in a state charge that Paterson illegally obtained World Series tickets and lied about it.

Paterson is also being investigated over contact with a woman who had accused a top aide of domestic violence.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A senior state Democrat tells The Associated Press that black party leaders in Gov. David Paterson's New York City neighborhood hope to craft a "message calling for the governor to resign."

The Democrat briefed on the meeting planned for Thursday night spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

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The adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sharpton is expected to say he's rethinking his support for New York's first black governor.

The meeting is set for Thursday night at a restaurant in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood and follows a flurry of calls overnight in which many of the leaders reconsidered their support for Paterson. Those calls were also voiced in a similar summit Saturday in Harlem, although the group overall supported Paterson's plan to continue to serve. He had ended his campaign for a full term the day before.

"I still believe that he's entitled to the presumption of innocence, but as each day brings more severe reports, his ability to govern effectively is called into question," said a second prominent black leader in New York City who attended Saturday's meeting and is invited to Thursday's meeting.

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The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday finds that 61 percent of voters don't want Paterson to resign. Cuomo is investigating whether he or staff members tried to persuade a woman to drop a domestic violence complaint against a top aide.

The poll showed even most women don't want Paterson to quit.

Sixty-one percent of voters prefer an investigation by an independent prosecutor rather than Cuomo, a Democrat expected to run for governor. Paterson dropped his campaign for a full term last week under pressure.

Quinnipiac questioned 1,237 registered voters Monday and Tuesday. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

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On the Net:

Quinnipiac: http://www.quinnipiac.edu

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The commission said Wednesday that the indiscretion could cost him nearly $100,000 in penalties. It says Paterson may also have given false testimony in the case.

It's being turned over to the Albany County prosecutor's office for possible criminal prosecution.

Paterson could face penalties for violating bans on gifts to elected officials and using his position to secure unwarranted privileges.

The commission found Paterson didn't intend to reimburse the Yankees. There was no immediate comment from the governor's office.

Paterson has been under fire since reports of his intervention in a domestic violence case involving an aide.

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Corbitt announced his retirement late Tuesday on Capital News 9 and didn't give a reason. He is the second law enforcment official claimed by the scandal.

Corbitt has acknowledged that a police official had contact with a woman who had accused a top Paterson aide of roughing her up last fall in the Bronx. Soon after, the woman dropped her case against the aide, David Johnson.

Corbitt's boss, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O'Donnell, resigned a week ago. She said direct contact by the governor and troopers with the woman was "unacceptable" regardless of their intent.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Hours after the most damaging press reports yet surfaced in a scandal that threatens his administration, Gov. David Paterson struck back with a schedule of high-level budget negotiations to underscore his authority and a steady parade of supporters in front of reporters -- while hinting he will soon tell his side of the story.

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After emphasizing work he's done on behalf of New Yorkers, Paterson said, "It has become increasingly clear to me in the last few days that I cannot run for office and try to run the state’s business at the same time."

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But now he's also a disgraced governor, thanks to a devastating New York Times report that the governor's office may have used the State Police to intimidate a woman who accused a top Paterson aide of assault. In response, Paterson is now ending his campaign for a full term.

In commemoration of this week's events, we invite you to take Salon's slide-show tour of the fraternity of disgraced governors to which Paterson has just been initiated.

View the slide show

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But earlier this week, after a couple false alarms, that Times story finally hit. And on the heels of the revelations contained therein -- the administration, with the governor himself involved, had been pressing a woman to drop an assault case against a top aide -- Paterson could stand strong no longer.

Both the New York Post and the New York Daily News are reporting that Paterson has decided to drop out of the race. An official announcement is expected later Friday.

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Paterson's top criminal justice Cabinet member resigned Thursday over the burgeoning scandal, saying conduct by the state police was "distressing" for an administration that has devoted itself to reducing domestic violence.

Elected officials and other candidates for office clamored for Paterson to end his campaign -- formally launched just five days ago -- as the turmoil mushroomed around longtime adviser David Johnson. A police report detailed in The New York Times discusses a confrontation between Johnson and a woman over her Halloween costume.

The New York Times reported Wednesday on court papers showing a phone call between state police and the woman. Paterson's office acknowledges he talked to the woman but says she placed the call, and a spokesman for the governor denied anyone tried to keep the woman from pursuing a domestic violence case.

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The basic problem is Paterson's refusal to realize what has been obvious to everyone else for nearly a year now: that he's a political dead man walking. Instead of gracefully acknowledging reality, he's continued to think and act like a man who wants to run for a full gubernatorial term this fall. And that has consequences.

First, consider the freshest news -- a report from a New York City television station on Wednesday that Paterson is the subject of a federal investigation. At issue (supposedly) is the governor's decision to award a casino contract to a an investor group that includes one of the state's most prominent African-American political leaders. In the process, Paterson bypassed two bidders with extensive track records in the gaming industry.

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The latest bit of bad news to hit Paterson was a report from a New York television station that federal prosecutors are looking into a casino contract he awarded. His counsel has issued a denial, but at this point every additional bit of bad news just makes Paterson seem more beleaguered than ever.

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By the time you're reading this, of course, it's clear that didn't happen. Paterson's office has denied any plans to resign, and it's still not even clear what the story -- if it ever appears -- is about.

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Paterson campaign spokesman Richard Fife said the weekend meetings and calls had nothing to do with the accusations but were "routine re-election campaign calls."

"The governor started making calls two weeks ago to step up his campaign effort and get ready to officially announce his re-election campaign," Fife said. "The calls were -- and are -- going well ... And then look what happens -- a coordinated effort to stop him and spread rumors."

A Democrat close to the situation, though, said the meetings included discussions about whether Paterson would resign or announce he will not run because of the unsubstantiated claims in the whisper campaign surrounding the governor's behavior. The Democrat spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

One recent New York Post article about the accusations drew a denial by Paterson's spokeswoman and a strong rebuke by the superintendent of state police.

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“I’m going to put the bill out and just let people fight it out... I would like to see the Legislature just debate the bills that people think are controversial,” Paterson said on a Buffalo radio station last week. Paterson has also said that he believes the state should show that it is determined to treat both same-sex and opposite-sex couples equally.

However, as the Times is quick to point out, Paterson's expected announcement doesn't mean that a decision on gay marriages in the state will necessarily occur anytime soon. It could easily take months before the bill actually makes it to a vote in the state legislature, and according to the Times, a majority of members of the state Senate oppose same-sex marriage.

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