If Gov. Paterson thinks his withdrawal yesterday from this year’s gubernato rial race is a proper substitute for out right resignation, he’d do well to think again.
As The Post reports today, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is now exploring, among other things, just how the woman at the center of this sordid scandal last month suddenly acquired a spanking-new 2010 RX350 Lexus — a $40,000 ride.
And then, less than two weeks later, skipped a hearing in her domestic-abuse case against top Paterson aide David Johnson, ending the matter.
Except, obviously, it didn’t end.
Previously, Sherr-una Booker — who sought an order of protection against Johnson after he allegedly choked her last fall — owned a 1998 Ford Escort.
Her salary: $58,000. So how’d she acquire the new car on Jan. 26, as its title suggests?
That’s what Cuomo is trying to find out. We have no doubt that he will.
Which has got to be troubling news for Paterson. Booker apparently won a civil judgment, which might have been used to buy the car. But if Paterson had even the slightest role in Booker’s sudden, uh, up ward mobility, that could involve him in outright obstruction of justice.
As could, for that matter, the phone chat Paterson admits he had with Booker — the very day before the hearing.
And the reported “outreach” to her — which she called “harassment” — by the head of Paterson’s State Police detail.
Cuomo has said he’ll “determine if criminal . . . wrongdoing is involved.” And his probe comes as federal gumshoes are looking into Paterson’s awarding of that Aqueduct racino contract.
Paterson needs to examine his conscience carefully — and ask himself bluntly if he knows what he’s facing.
Either way, he needs to step down.
“Right now, what we need is a governor who will devote his full attention” to the state’s pressing issues, Paterson acknowledged yesterday in announcing his plan to end his campaign. But how can he tend to state business when he’s a central figure in two potentially criminal probes?
Add to the instability the inevitable departure of State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt — who clearly needs to go for his role in the scandal.
And not just because that “outreach” by state troopers was at the least inappropriate, if not criminal. Another key Paterson official, public-safety czar Denise O’Donnell, says Corbitt lied to her, denying his troopers played a role in the case — and she even quit Thursday in protest.
So again, how can Paterson possibly do his job? And why paralyze the state while Cuomo, et al., sort through the details?
New York is in deep trouble. It faces as much as $2 billion in red ink this year and $8.2 billion next year.
Yet, even without this mess, Paterson was unlikely to strike a responsible budget deal by the April 1 deadline.
With the probes as distractions, no deal seems possible. That will wreak havoc, particularly with local governments.
As City Comptroller John Liu put it: “We have a $4.1 billion budget deficit to grapple with in New York City and cannot make real progress until the state budget is resolved.”
Lt. Gov. Dick Ravitch is superbly equipped to deal with that problem.
So Paterson is doing no one any favors by hanging on.
He needs to step aside — now.