MJMANDALAY
09-14-2006, 07:51 PM
Former Gov. James E. McGreevey :action-sm STOP HERE IF YOUR NOT INTERESTED :action-sm
disclosed during his taped interview with Oprah Winfrey Tuesday that his first intimate encounter with the man who would lead to his downfall took place while Dina Matos McGreevey lay in a hospital awaiting the birth of the couple's daughter, audience members said.
McGreevey, offering hints of the material contained in his soon-to-be released book, gave no details of the encounter with Golan Cipel, a top aide, and did not explicitly say during the interview the two men had sexual relations.
But three audience members who attended the taping in Chicago said the former governor, in the context of his relationship with Cipel, clearly implied sexual activity occurred in the days before the Dec. 7, 2001, birth of daughter Jacqueline.
"We went upstairs," one audience member quoted McGreevey as saying of the rendezvous, which took place in McGreevey's Woodbridge apartment. The three observers spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Winfrey's strong admonition against divulging information about the broadcast to reporters.
Winfrey's interview with McGreevey is scheduled to air Tuesday, the release date for "The Confession," billed by the former governor as a "painfully honest" account of his struggles as a closeted homosexual, his relationship with the man he put on the state payroll and his spectacular fall from political office two years ago.
A release issued last night by Winfrey's production company to promote Tuesday's show elaborated slightly on the interview, saying McGreevey told his wife about his homosexuality only because Cipel threatened to blackmail him.
Without that pressure, McGreevey said, "I don't think I would have ever had the courage to come out of the closet."
Cipel, who has since returned to his native Israel, has consistently denied his encounters with McGreevey were consensual and has claimed he was sexually harassed. He also has denied blackmailing McGreevey.
According to the promotional release, McGreevey spoke at length about the emotional difficulties of leading a double life.
"You try to maintain the public existence of a husband, a wife and children, and then you're also in the closet saying, 'I'm living -- this is who I really am my authentic self, but I'm denying it every day.'"
The release does not touch on McGreevey's characterization of his first intimate encounter with Cipel while Dina Matos McGreevey was hospitalized. The couple are now divorcing.
Matos McGreevey did not respond to phone calls last night. Two people who remain in contact with her -- and who spoke on condition of anonymity -- said Winfrey's producers asked Matos McGreevey to appear on the show and were rebuffed.
The audience members interviewed by The Star-Ledger said Winfrey repeatedly pressed McGreevey about whether his wife suspected he was gay. McGreevey, they said, did not give a clear answer.
"He tap-danced a lot," said one of the observers, a woman from the Chicago area.
The woman said she came away from the interview with the impression McGreevey was working hard to be likable and seen as a "good guy."
McGreevey met Cipel while on a trade mission to Israel in March 2000. Within six months, Cipel had moved to New Jersey to work on McGreevey's gubernatorial campaign. McGreevey later named him his homeland security adviser despite a lack of qualifications for the job.
While McGreevey did not provide a precise time frame for his first intimate tryst with Cipel, it appears to have taken place around the time of the gubernatorial election or shortly thereafter. Dina Matos McGreevey, who suffered complications during pregnancy, was hospitalized in early November of 2001. She remained there for more than five weeks.
On Dec. 9, 2001, two days after the birth, McGreevey beamed for the cameras as he posed with his wife and new daughter.
disclosed during his taped interview with Oprah Winfrey Tuesday that his first intimate encounter with the man who would lead to his downfall took place while Dina Matos McGreevey lay in a hospital awaiting the birth of the couple's daughter, audience members said.
McGreevey, offering hints of the material contained in his soon-to-be released book, gave no details of the encounter with Golan Cipel, a top aide, and did not explicitly say during the interview the two men had sexual relations.
But three audience members who attended the taping in Chicago said the former governor, in the context of his relationship with Cipel, clearly implied sexual activity occurred in the days before the Dec. 7, 2001, birth of daughter Jacqueline.
"We went upstairs," one audience member quoted McGreevey as saying of the rendezvous, which took place in McGreevey's Woodbridge apartment. The three observers spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Winfrey's strong admonition against divulging information about the broadcast to reporters.
Winfrey's interview with McGreevey is scheduled to air Tuesday, the release date for "The Confession," billed by the former governor as a "painfully honest" account of his struggles as a closeted homosexual, his relationship with the man he put on the state payroll and his spectacular fall from political office two years ago.
A release issued last night by Winfrey's production company to promote Tuesday's show elaborated slightly on the interview, saying McGreevey told his wife about his homosexuality only because Cipel threatened to blackmail him.
Without that pressure, McGreevey said, "I don't think I would have ever had the courage to come out of the closet."
Cipel, who has since returned to his native Israel, has consistently denied his encounters with McGreevey were consensual and has claimed he was sexually harassed. He also has denied blackmailing McGreevey.
According to the promotional release, McGreevey spoke at length about the emotional difficulties of leading a double life.
"You try to maintain the public existence of a husband, a wife and children, and then you're also in the closet saying, 'I'm living -- this is who I really am my authentic self, but I'm denying it every day.'"
The release does not touch on McGreevey's characterization of his first intimate encounter with Cipel while Dina Matos McGreevey was hospitalized. The couple are now divorcing.
Matos McGreevey did not respond to phone calls last night. Two people who remain in contact with her -- and who spoke on condition of anonymity -- said Winfrey's producers asked Matos McGreevey to appear on the show and were rebuffed.
The audience members interviewed by The Star-Ledger said Winfrey repeatedly pressed McGreevey about whether his wife suspected he was gay. McGreevey, they said, did not give a clear answer.
"He tap-danced a lot," said one of the observers, a woman from the Chicago area.
The woman said she came away from the interview with the impression McGreevey was working hard to be likable and seen as a "good guy."
McGreevey met Cipel while on a trade mission to Israel in March 2000. Within six months, Cipel had moved to New Jersey to work on McGreevey's gubernatorial campaign. McGreevey later named him his homeland security adviser despite a lack of qualifications for the job.
While McGreevey did not provide a precise time frame for his first intimate tryst with Cipel, it appears to have taken place around the time of the gubernatorial election or shortly thereafter. Dina Matos McGreevey, who suffered complications during pregnancy, was hospitalized in early November of 2001. She remained there for more than five weeks.
On Dec. 9, 2001, two days after the birth, McGreevey beamed for the cameras as he posed with his wife and new daughter.