Cuomo used campaign money to pay attorney
ALBANY, N.Y. — Campaign filings reveal Gov. Andrew Cuomo used his re-election war chest to pay out $284,000 to a high-powered attorney representing him as he faces sexual misconduct allegations.
The reveal comes as the embattled governor — who denied last month that donor cash was being used to cover legal costs — is expected to be interviewed this weekend by investigators probing the claims on behalf of Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
State Board of Elections filings shows that the governor’s campaign paid attorney Rita Glavin’s firm $173,098 on June 2, the same day Mr. Cuomo claimed at a news conference he wasn’t using donations for such services “at this time.”
A separate payment of $111,774 was made to Ms. Glavin a month earlier on May 3. Both are chalked up to “professional services.”
Ms. Glavin and the Cuomo campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
John Kaehny, of good government group Reinvent Albany, said he wasn’t surprised by the use of campaign funds, but argues that the practice should be outlawed.
“It should be illegal to use campaign funds for legal representation because the whole idea of having limits and restrictions on campaign funds is that they’re supposed to be used for campaigns,” he said.
Mr. Kaehny believes taxpayers should be on the hook for lawmakers’ legal fees in order to avoid politically motivated lawsuits meant to drain coffers.
Meanwhile, attorney Debra Katz, who represents Cuomo accuser and former gubernatorial aide Charlotte Bennett, slammed the governor as he’s set to tell investigators his side of the story.
Mr. Cuomo has “resorted to belligerent lies and a Trumpian refusal to stick to a single set of facts,” Ms. Katz said in a statement.
“He has also demonstrated a jaw-dropping ignorance of the sexual harassment law he signed into effect — without great fanfare — suggesting that his behavior is fine because he never meant to make women feel uncomfortable,” she added.
Ms. Bennett, 25, alleges that Mr. Cuomo asked her if she would date older men and whether she was monogamous in her relationships while the pair were alone in his Albany office last year.
She also said that the 63year-old suggested he was open to having relationships with women in their 20s.
Ms. Bennett is one of nearly a dozen women, including current and former staffers, who have accused the Democrat of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, leading to calls for Mr. Cuomo’s resignation.
The governor, also facing an impeachment inquiry, has denied any wrongdoing after initially apologizing for making anyone “uncomfortable.”
In public comments, Mr. Cuomo has said his behavior never rose to the level of sexual harassment and he has accused the press of distorting and “manipulating” the claims against him, which include groping a staffer under her blouse.
Mr. Cuomo is eyeing a run for a fourth term next year and currently has about $18 million in his coffers after raising around $2.5 million over the first half of 2021.