Memo to Paterson: It's the Cover-Up, Stupid

I just don't see how much longer the accidental governor can stay in office as the slow drip of revelations surrounding his aide's beating of his girlfriend is slowly becoming a tidal wave ready to wash his administration away. Paterson may want to step aside and for a minute begin thinking of how badly this affects the state and his constituents.

In an explosive development that puts Gov. Paterson at the center of an alleged cover-up, the governor instructed two female state workers to contact the woman involved in a domestic-violence case against his closest aide -- even enlisting one of them to ask the victim to downplay it, sources told The Post last night.

Paterson instructed his press secretary, Marissa Shorenstein -- who met with probers from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office yesterday -- to phone Sherr-una Booker just as the media was preparing to unleash a damning piece on Booker's ex, troubled longtime Paterson pal David Johnson, one source said.

The source said it appeared that Paterson wanted to minimize the violent nature of the incident.

The stunning revelation is the first apparent evidence that Paterson tried to influence the case against his friend, Johnson.

Booker had told cops that Johnson choked her and slammed her into a mirror because he was furious over her sexy Halloween costume.

Shorenstein called Booker but was unable to reach her, and a Paterson administration source insisted that the press secretary wasn't aware of the extent of Johnson's alleged vicious attack on Booker when she tried to reach her.

Shorenstein had phoned Booker at Paterson's behest believing that the woman might issue a statement on behalf of the governor as he was getting slammed by scandal, the Paterson source said.

Meanwhile, Paterson -- in his quest for damage control -- even personally pressed a second state worker to get involved in the case, the source said.

The governor asked the worker, Deneane Brown, to reach out to Booker, whom she knows, and have her call him so they could talk, according to the source.

Brown, who works for the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, called Booker several times before finally reaching her Feb. 7.

Booker then turned around and called Paterson that same day -- the day before she was to appear in court in her domestic-violence case against Johnson.

The next day, Feb. 8, Booker failed to appear in court -- and her bid to seek a protection order against Johnson was dismissed.

Can you say conspiracy, boy and girls?

Meanwhile, Paterson has become so distracted he's not even able to show up for work.

He's got to go.

The "Hall of Governors" corridor outside of Paterson's office at the Capitol was eerily quiet for the start of a state government work week.

By early evening, Paterson hadn't left the 39-room protected compound, despite what had been expected to be a full day of serious negotiations with state lawmakers on how to close a looming $9 billion state budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning April 1.

"Where's the governor? Why isn't he here working?" a senior Assembly Democrat asked.

"Is he writing his resignation speech?"

Aides refused to say what the governor was doing in the mansion.

So you have a state in dire fiscal crisis, a lame-duck governor mired in scandal and he's not even showing up for work.

Bye, Dave.