TRENTON, N.J. - The wife of former Gov. James E. McGreevey describes him in her upcoming memoir as self-absorbed and controlling and says that, among other demands, he insisted she move out of the governor's mansion before his official resignation.
The descriptions appear in Dina Matos McGreevey's book "Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage," scheduled to hit bookstores May 1. A copy of the book was obtained by the New York Daily News.
Matos McGreevey wrote that her husband offered only an indifferent apology days after he appeared on national television in August 2004 and announced he would resign, saying: "I am a gay American."
Before that appearance, she wrote that McGreevey told her to compose herself, saying, "You have to be Jackie Kennedy today," and repeatedly told her what to say and how to act in the aftermath of his admission.
Matos McGreevey also said her husband told her if she stayed at the governor's mansion until the last minute it would make her "look like white trash."
"Silent Partner" is Matos McGreevey's response to McGreevey's autobiography, "The Confession," which was published last September. In it, McGreevey described sexual encounters with aide Golan Cipel -- who continues to deny having an affair with McGreevey -- and wrote that he married Matos McGreevey for political gain.
The couple are separated and embroiled in a nasty custody battle over their daughter, Jacqueline.