Gov. Paterson Denies Canoodling Report

Over the weekend, it was reported that Gov. David Paterson visited a New Jersey steakhouse and got quite comfortable with a young woman who wasn't his wife. He's now denying that there was anything untoward that occurred:



UPDATE:
Paterson's coming under fire from fellow Democrats who complain that he's busy with this woman while the state's business continues to include a multi-billion dollar deficit that needs to be addressed. Paterson's press flack said:

Paterson spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein said nothing but "a business lunch with a friend" was going on. "The story . . . was an outright lie, and any insinuation of improper behavior is absolutely false," she said.

Shorenstein identified the woman as Jennifer Jones, 34, a married mom who was asking the governor for advice on setting up an after-school program.

At the eatery, Paterson had told a Post reporter the woman "works with me." Waiter Tony Martinez also said Paterson introduced the woman as "a campaign manager or someone from his campaign."

The restaurant's manager said that there was no hanky panky. Jones' husband also ridiculed the report. All these unforced errors do nothing to improve his image or help him gain traction in the bruising world of dealing with the state's political agenda.