Paterson says he leaked scandal details

New York Gov. David Paterson says he was the first person to reveal to the media a conversation he had with the woman at the center of a domestic violence scandal involving one of his aides.

In an interview Thursday with John Gambling on WOR radio, Paterson says he was the first to say there was a conversation between himself and Sherr-una Booker — a former girlfriend to David Johnson, an aide on leave from the executive office.

A day after the conversation with Paterson, Booker failed to show up for a court hearing in the case against Johnson, resulting in its dismissal.
 

Paterson says he didn’t try to persuade her to drop the complaint.   

The New York Times, which first reported the incident, posted a story on its Web site Thursday disputing Paterson’s claims.