ALBANY—Representative Greg Meeks is downplaying the severity of the message White House officials sent to David Paterson–which was revealed in newspapers Sunday–and his role in relaying it.
"In conversations that I've had with several members of the administration, there were concerns," Meeks said last night on Capital Tonight. "Some of those concerns I thought it was important to relay to my friend, the governor."
"In that conversation, I articulated what I articulated. I can't say I had any particular expectations other than keeping the governor informed of the information I had," he added.
He also appeared on NY1, "Good Day New York" and Bloomberg TV. Meeks is close to the governor, and was initially cast as a messenger from Patrick Gaspard and the White House. But his own, subsequent accounts have made it sound as if he's firmly in Paterson's camp.
I spoke today to Assemblyman Darryl Towns, who is close to Paterson, who said "I take the Congressman at his word."
"I'm still not sure that that is the president's message," Towns said. "From what I've picked up, I'm not sure that is what was articulated. But there may be concern, and the concern is maybe being projected in the media as ‘step aside.' I'm not sure that's the accurate message."
