ALBANY — Confusion gripped the Capitol and the Senate chamber remained dark yesterday, as Democrats feverishly scrambled to regain control after a Republican coup knocked them out of the box.
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Deposed Senate leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) accused the Democratic mutineers of rank extortion and influence peddling.
The fast-paced, never-before-seen developments at the Capitol yesterday included:
* Senate business — usually at a fever pitch in June — ground to a halt yesterday while Democrats mulled legal action to delay a session scheduled for 3 p.m. today.
* Rumors swirled that a handful of other Democratic lawmakers were preparing to defect to the Republicans.
* The White House even jumped into the fray, trying to save Democratic control of the state Senate.
* More chaos loomed with the GOP threatening to hold a session in a public park near the Capitol today if Democrats failed to hand over keys to the gilded chamber.
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“There is no constitutional requirement that we’ll meet in that room,” said Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., the Bronx Democrat who defected along with Hiram Monserrate of Queens to give the GOP a 32-30 working majority. “We’ll just have to take it outside.”
Espada’s boasts came amid frantic, behind-the-scenes efforts by Democrats to save the party’s control of the state Legislature even if it meant dumping Smith.
Sources said White House political director Patrick Gaspard, a former union operative with deep New York ties, worked the phones yesterday, pushing for a resolution.
“It’s not that they want to save Malcolm,” said one source familiar with the calls, saying the goal was to get renegade senators back into the Democratic fold quickly.
Insiders gave Smith little chance to retain any leadership post.
In the absence of a lieutenant governor, whoever holds the title of Senate president serves as acting chief executive whenever the governor leaves the state or is unable to serve.
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“I would not plan on the leaving the state right now,” Gov. Paterson said in Albany. “I would think the best thing for me to do is to stay here.”
At least one Albany lobbyist reported receiving an automated phone calling Espada a crook and asking people to report any wrongdoing to prosecutors.
The call was reported shortly after sources said Smith was considering asking Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate alleged improprieties surrounding Espada’s pact with the GOP.
Republicans boasted that three or four Democratic senators could enter the GOP fold.
Sources identified Martin Dilan and Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, and Bill Stachowski of Buffalo, as Democrats that Republicans hoped would flip. At least one maverick Democrat, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., said he had no plans to switch sides, blaming billionaire Tom Golisano for engineering the Albany coup.
Smith’s spokesman, Austin Shafran, said Smith was “leaving the door open” to a legal challenge but had not filed a lawsuit by last night.
Republicans, meanwhile, remained locked out of the gilded Senate chamber, where the ornate gates were kept bolted shut throughout the day by the sergeant-at-arms, William Martin.
In response, Republicans called for the immediate resignation of Smith’s top appointee, Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte, who controls day-to-day operations.
Republicans blame Aponte for heavy-handed tactics when Democrats took over the Senate in January for the first time in 43 years, including scratching Dean Skelos’ name off the majority leader’s office door. Skelos (R-LI) is slated to become majority leader again.
Additional reporting by Maggie Haberman