HYPERAGGRESSIVE Sen. Chuck Schumer really outdid himself last week at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, lying to Gov. Paterson about an embarrassing incident and horrifying several associates with his antics, party insiders say.
Schumer lied to Paterson about the circumstances under which he upstaged the governor by denying him his agreed-on role of introducing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a senior Democrat told The Post.
“Chuck had agreed to turn the microphone over to Paterson when Hillary showed up at the New York delegation breakfast, but then he hogged it for himself and later told the governor that [Assembly Speaker] Shelly Silver knew this was the plan all along,” the prominent Democrat said.
“But that wasn’t the plan all along. The plan, and Chuck knew it, was for the governor to introduce Hillary.
“Chuck lied about what happened, and the governor knows he lied.”
Added another prominent delegate, “Chuck was out of control.
“He was elbowing people on the floor of the convention, pushing his face into the picture whenever he could, and upstaging the governor at the delegation breakfast.”
Schumer’s failure to turn the gathering over to Paterson led to a second embarrassment for the governor.
So much time passed by the time Clinton was done speaking that Paterson was forced to put off for two days his opening address to the New York delegation.
Schumer, meanwhile, was described as obviously pained that he still must function under the shadow of Clinton.
“He wanted her out of the Senate, running for president, since she always overshadows him – even though she’s the junior senator,” said a well-known Democrat.
Schumer spokesman Joshua Vlasto insisted his boss didn’t lie but had only sought to “accommodate everyone’s changing schedule.”
Mayor Bloomberg is sending Deputy Mayor and top political operative Kevin Sheekey on a secret mission to the Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn as soon as today in hopes of lining up support for Daniel Squadron, who is challenging longtime incumbent Sen. Martin Connor in next week’s Democratic primary.
“The mayor wants his ‘deputy mayor for presidential aspirations’ to convince the Satmar to go with Squadron, and he’s suggesting the mayor’s office will reward the Satmar with city grants if they go along with him,” contended one of the city’s most influential Democrats.
Bloomberg endorsed Squadron last month as an “independent voice” and a reformer who would shake up the Legislature.