Abusing state power

Rumors are beginning to spread the New York State Goveror David Paterson will likely not seek a second term after it emerged that state troopers may have directly intervened in a case of alleged domestic violence perpetrated by one of his top aides:

The resignation yesterday of Denise E. O’Donnell, Paterson’s deputy secretary for public safety, was the biggest jolt to the governor’s campaign.

“The fact that the governor and members of the State Police have acknowledged direct contact with a woman who had filed for an order of protection against a senior member of the Governor’s staff is a very serious matter,” she wrote in a statement. “These actions are unacceptable regardless of their intent.”

For those who wonder what abuse of state power really means, this is it.  Using the point of the spear to interfere with the legal process, especially to protect a personal associate, is the definition of illegitimately wielding political power that derives from the people.  If these allegations are true, Paterson should rightfully be in a heap of trouble.

-Sam

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  4. Obama administration and state secrets
  5. The power of “independents”

February 26, 2010 · Filed Under Sam

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  • Editors

    Jacob Bronsther is a law student at NYU, a former Fulbright Scholar to Mauritius, and a graduate of Cornell University. He has an MPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford.

  • Sam Gill is a consultant in Washington and a graduate of the University of Chicago. He studied Political Theory at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

  • Marc Grinberg is a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. government and a graduate of Princeton University. He earned an MPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford.

  • John Rood is the founder of Next Step Test Preparation and a graduate of Michigan State University. He has an AM in Political Theory from the University of Chicago.

  • Luke Freedman is a student at Carleton College, pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science.


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