MOVING ‘WITH ALL DUE HASTE’
VOTE ON CUOMO IMPEACHMENT EXPECTED IN ‘WEEKS’
ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo’s path to impeachment is clear.
State lawmakers on Monday indicated how the Assembly’s impeachment probe of the embattled governor will play out in the coming weeks as Cuomo fights for his political life and faces continued fallout over sexual harassment allegations.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee outlined a series of closeddoor and public meetings to be held this month after convening for the first time since Attorney General Letitia James’ office released its damning report on Cuomo’s conduct.
“We anticipate that this process will be concluded very soon,” said committee Chairman Charles Lavine (D-Nassau). “And when I say very soon, I’m speaking about several weeks.”
The panel will meet again behind closed doors with its own team of investigators next Monday and Aug. 23 and then hold public hearings to determine whether one of the most prominent Democratic governors in the country committed an impeachable offense.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said the chamber has asked for “all evidence unredacted and unfiltered” from the attorney general’s office as well as relevant information from the governor, as lawmakers seek to “bring this matter to a conclusion with all due haste.”
Monday’s meeting came hours after Melissa DeRosa, Cuomo’s top aide, announced her departure and nearly one week after James’ report implicated her in attempting to smear one of the governor’s accusers.
Heastie said he is unaware of any attempts by the governor to strike a deal to avoid impeachment and finish out his term, which runs through next year.
“I am not negotiating any deals,” Heastie said. “I am not part of any discussions or plan to be part of any discussions about cutting deals.
“Future generations will look to us and how we conduct ourselves in this moment,” he added.
Investigators working under James concluded that the governor violated state and federal law as he sexually harassed 11 women, mostly much younger staffers, and oversaw a “toxic” work environment.
The Assembly gave Cuomo until Friday to submit any evidence he wants them to weigh before the committee considers drawing up articles of impeachment against him.
Meanwhile, the Albany County sheriff’s office is investigating a criminal sexual misconduct complaint filed by former Cuomo executive assistant Brittany Commisso, who spoke out about her claims in a CBS News interview that aired earlier Monday morning.
Commisso was previously identified only as “Executive Assistant No. 1” in James’ report before the former aide came forward publicly over the weekend.
She told investigators that Cuomo repeatedly harassed her and made inappropriate and sexual comments on a regular basis before groping her twice during the past two years.
Several other prosecutors across the state, including
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr., have asked the attorney general’s office for additional information about the conduct described in the report.
Cuomo has adamantly denied ever touching anyone inappropriately and cast the independent probe overseen by James’ office as biased and politically motivated.
If the 63-year-old governor remains steadfast in his refusal to resign, his fellow Democrats, who control both the Assembly and the Senate, will decide his fate.
The Assembly’s probe, which began in March, has been criticized for moving at a glacial pace. Lawmakers are investigating more than just the harassment claims — they are also eyeing Cuomo’s pandemic book deal, special access to COVID-19 testing and the administration’s obscuring of the true number of