Politics on the Hudson

Gov. David Paterson declined comment this afternoon about Judge Judith Kaye’s report into the domestic-violence case involving his former top aide, saying he hadn’t read it yet.

But the governor didn’t hold back when it came to the buzz around the Capitol that Paterson called today’s special session to coincide with the report’s release to limit the report’s press coverage.

Paterson said he had no idea the report was being released until he was contacted by the attorney general’s office at 11 a.m. today.

“The Legislature always finds a reason why they’re the victim, when in fact the people of the state of New York are the victims,” Paterson said after a meeting in Manhattan of the New York City Financial Control Board.

“They are the ones now approaching 120 days late on the budget, and every excuse, everything happens because no one is respecting these legislators.”

He went on to say that lawmakers have “performed horribly” and looking for any distraction from that.

He vowed that, “They’re being brought back because the budget’s not passed, and I don’t care how many of them show up, I’m going to keep bringing them back until it is.”