Paladino threatens to release info on Cuomo's love life

Carl Paladino, the GOP nominee for governor, again said Friday that he would release information about what he characterized as Andrew Cuomo's extramarital love life - even as campaign aides expressed concern that the accusations are becoming a damaging distraction.

After saying Thursday he never accused Cuomo of infidelity and merely wanted reporters to investigate his Democratic opponent's love life, Paladino said in response to a question on Fox News Friday he had a "box" of information about Cuomo and would release it, though he declined to say when.

"We will at the appropriate time say what we have in our box," Paladino said. "What I believe and what is factually out there, we will put out at the appropriate time."

On Friday, Cuomo addressed the issue, calling the accusations hurtful to his family. Cuomo's marriage to Kerry Kennedy ended in 2003.

But one Paladino campaign source said the candidate needs to stop talking about the attorney general's love life because it was a losing issue and a major distraction as the general election heats up. The source said whatever information the campaign had would probably not be released.

"This is a door we need to shut," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity to freely discuss internal campaign strategy. "We don't have any interest in discussing it anymore."

Paladino first made the accusations in a Newsday interview on Monday, saying the news media should look into "Cuomo and his paramours." The story drew national attention after a Politico.com story on Wednesday and broadcast of a videotaped shouting match that night between Paladino and a reporter who aggressively questioned him about his accusations.

The Buffalo businessman reignited the controversy Friday with his comments on Fox. The campaign source said Paladino is frustrated by the constant talk of his own affair with an ex-employee and the now 10-year-old daughter it produced.

When referring to the "box" of information, Paladino was talking about "six volumes" of opposition research on Cuomo gathered by investigators, said the campaign source.

"Carl knows every stitch of information in those volumes," the source said. "But it's not appropriate to release it and we're not going to."

The source said the campaign had conducted internal polls on Paladino's affair and found it wouldn't damage him with voters - so there's no reason to believe such information would turn voters against Cuomo.