NEW YORK CITY (AP) -- Donald Trump wants New York Gov. David Paterson to send his new lieutenant governor a message: You're fired.
The New York Post reports that Trump sent a two-page letter to Paterson blasting Richard Ravitch on the day the 76-year-old real estate developer was appointed.
His appointment Thursday was intended to give Democrats a tie-breaking vote in the deadlocked state Senate. A day later, a dissident senator rejoined the Democrats, restoring their 32-30 majority.
Trump said in the letter that Ravitch is "extremely weak, ineffective and a poor negotiator."
But Trump notes that Ravitch "has always been good and very clean, despite his failures as a businessman and representative of state government."
Ravitch declined comment Monday.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
