In a tearful press conference, Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton admitted that he
had lied to WHAS-TV Louisville when he denied that he had an extramarital
affair with a political supporter who claimed that Patton unleashed state regulators
on the nursing home she owns after she broke off the affair. Patton denied targeting the woman and her business after the break up.
The station reported the story before the lawsuit was filed, and it became a
topic of conversation across the state.
Patton's Friday conference was carried live over cable news.
Patton said he had lied in the station's initial report in order to protect
his wife and family. He said he'd asked forgiveness from God, his wife and
family, and he was asking for forgiveness from Kentuckians.
Between the story's first airing and the press conference, the governor's
wife made disparaging remarks about WHAS-TV's reporting.
Clearly, the lawsuit would have taken the story public eventually, but had the
story been limited to the sexual scandal and not one involving political
favors, news director Scott Diener said, it would not have been given as much
attention.
