Paterson's Confidant Draws Scrutiny

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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February 16, 2010

Paterson's Confidant Draws Scrutiny

The much-anticipated New York Times story on New York Gov. David Paterson (D) that has had the political world buzzing is actually a profile of D.J. Johnson, the governor's driver-turned-confidant, who faced drug charges as a youth and who supposedly threatened several women.

After all the speculation, it's really not much for Paterson to worry about.

Ben Smith: "The story refers to the eyebrows raised by the governor's reliance on his from-nowhere aide -- though this isn't all that unusual in politics -- and the subtext of disorganization in Paterson's office aren't going to raise a lot of eyebrows in New York. And whatever the Times' sources may have said about the governor himself don't appear in the story."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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February 16, 2010