A source close to Gov. Paterson dragged Caroline Kennedy through the mud yesterday, saying the governor never planned to pick her for the Senate because she was “mired” in issues over taxes, her nanny – and, possibly, her marriage.
The governor’s version of events contrasted starkly with what sources close to Kennedy told The Post just hours earlier about the circumstances surrounding her withdrawal from consideration to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton – and with a statement from Paterson hours later.
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The tit-for-tat attacks reflected bruised feelings and growing tensions between various factions of Kennedy and Paterson supporters – and by late afternoon, both sides had put out statements trying to calm things down.
The Post first reported Wednesday night that Kennedy was bowing out of her two-month quest for a Senate seat – which was met with sharp criticism over her performance in interviews and her apparent lack of knowledge on key issues, and questions about whether she was ready.
Kennedy was “mired in some potentially embarrassing personal issues,” the source close to Paterson said, citing tax liabilities and worker-compensation problems connected to the employment of a nanny.
“She has a tax problem that came up in the vetting and a potential nanny issue,” the source said.
“And reporters are starting to look at her marriage more closely,” the source continued, refusing to provide any specifics.
“The governor had no intention of picking her because of the botched rollout executed in recent weeks,” said the source, referring to Kennedy’s media appearances.
“She’s clearly not ready for prime time. She has no policy experience and she couldn’t handle the public stage very well.”
The 51-year-old daughter of John F. Kennedy denied any problem with her home life to The Post last month – and the blistering criticism, bringing up her marriage to Edwin Schlossberg, stunned even her detractors.
“I feel bad for her,” said one Democrat who didn’t support her bid. “I can’t believe they’re bringing up the marriage. She quit. What’s the difference now? Let it go.”
The Paterson source added that Kennedy called at midday on Wednesday to tell the governor that she was feeling “overwhelmed” and “unsure” about her candidacy and wanted 24 hours to think about what to do. But she “made no mention of withdrawing,” the source said.
She called back at about 11 p.m. to apologize for being “missing in action” for several hours and said she planned to stay in, the source said.
But an hour later, she put out a statement bowing out – and only then did the governor’s team learn of her decision, the source said.
The Post reported yesterday that Paterson, prior to Kennedy’s quitting, had conveyed to her that she was unlikely to get the nod.
Late yesterday, Paterson put out a statement acknowledging that she had called him Wednesday afternoon and that he had given her “time to deliberate” out of “respect for her decision-making process.”
He denied what the source close to him had said, insisting that he’d never conveyed that anyone wasn’t getting the slot, or that there were vetting issues.
But one source with close administration ties said the governor was “furious” that Kennedy had “denied him the chance to be able to claim he had passed her over, so that he could look like he was strong and independent and willing to reject a Kennedy.”
A Kennedy source told The Post she bowed out because she “became aware” of a personal issue early Wednesday afternoon, and she made a clear effort to deny reports that her decision was influenced by the faltering health of her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy. She called the governor at midday to tell him she was bowing out, and he asked her to take 24 hours to reconsider, sources said.
Several sources close to Ted Kennedy were “furious” that one of Caroline’s allies invoked his brain cancer and his fatigue-induced seizure on Tuesday.
“No Kennedy would have said that,” said a Kennedy family source.
Some aides in Caroline’s camp were pushing for her to stay in the Senate “campaign,” sources said, but she ultimately decided to pack it in.
Her spokesman, Stefan Friedman, denounced the “mudslinging” and said, “Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name for consideration from the United States Senate for personal reasons. Any statements to the contrary are false.”
Caroline Kennedy stayed out of sight yesterday but made a round of calls to Democratic officials, thanking them for their time and apologizing for getting out of the race.
She insisted to them that dropping out was her choice, and that she wasn’t pushed.
Meanwhile, several sources said Charles O’Byrne, a former top Paterson aide who resigned after The Post reported he had five years of unpaid tax returns, was described by several sources as a “key player” in the Kennedy effort.