NEW YORK -- State Comptroller Alan Hevesi defended himself against ethics allegations when he spoke exclusively to Gabe Pressman Friday on WNBC.com.

---

Exclusive Video: Hevesi On WNBC

Complete Transcript: Hevesi Speaks

Also: Pataki Asks For Probe Of Hevesi

---

Hevesi will not resign and plans to move forward with his election campaign despite losing support from Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

"I have great faith in the public. I have great faith in the system," Hevesi told WNBC.com. "I believe in democracy and we'll let the voters decide."

Also Friday, New York Gov. George Pataki said he has asked a former federal prosecutor to advise him whether the case against embattled state comptroller warrants removing him from office.

The scandal surrounding Hevesi's use of a state worker to chauffeur his ailing wife escalated Thursday when Spitzer withdrew his endorsement of his fellow Democrat.

Hevesi said still supports Spitzer in his race to be New York's next governor, even though the Attorney General has withdrawn his endorsement.

"I really respect Eliot Spitzer. I think he'll make an excellent governor," Hevesi said. "He had to make his choice in the context of the environment that we're in."

Hevesi said he made a mistake and that he wasn't trying to "beat the system" when he failed to reimburse the state for a driver he used to chauffeur his wife around.

Hevesi's lead over Republican challenger J. Christopher Callaghan has dropped 28 percentage points since last week after he was accused by the state Ethics Commission of violating state law by failing to reimburse the state for using a staffer to drive his wife, according to a poll released Friday.

"I have to deal with this issue," Hevesi said. "The best way is to be open and honest, and go to the voters."

The WNBC/Marist College poll showed Hevesi, a Queens Democrat, leading Republican J. Christopher Callaghan 50 percent to 38 percent among likely voters. That's down from a 62 percent to 22 percent lead a week earlier.

When poll respondents were told about Spitzer's decision to pull the endorsement, Hevesi's lead dropped to 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters, with 13 percent undecided.

"I've never seen such a big swing in such a short time," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist poll.

Among registered voters polled, 58 percent said Hevesi should not resign while 33 percent said he should. Sixty-one percent said Gov. George Pataki should not ask the state Senate to remove Hevesi while 30 percent said he should.

The drop in polling numbers did not seem to bother the incumbant state comptroller.

“I believe the voters will understand that this was a misunderstanding,” Hevesi said.

Hevesi, who seemed to be sailing to re-election just days ago, now faces the fight of his political life. He could be removed from office following the ethics commission finding that he violated state law by failing to reimburse the state for use of the driver from 2003 to mid-2006. There have also been calls for his resignation from other officials and newspapers around the state.

"Recent developments in the comptroller's race are deeply troubling," Spitzer said on Thursday.

Spitzer also said he could not support Callaghan, saying his "experience and substantive positions lead me to believe he is not qualified to be comptroller."

Pataki was expected to announce Friday whether he will ask the state Senate to remove Hevesi from office. The governor said Wednesday he was already interviewing potential prosecutors.

It would take a two-thirds vote of the Republican-controlled Senate to oust Hevesi, who is seeking a second four-year term as the state's chief financial officer. Spitzer said in a statement he was confident the Senate would "recommend appropriate action."

Hevesi has vowed to fight any attempt to remove him and said he will not resign.

"Presumably, there'll be a fair hearing," Hevesi said Friday. We'll be able to be heard and present evidence if that process does go forward. "

He has apologized for failing to compensate the state for the driver and repaid almost $83,000 since Callaghan exposed the arrangement last month.

The poll conducted Thursday night questioned 509 likely voters and had a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent. The poll included 731 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.