Cuomo cedes control of probe
NY governor under fire as 2nd accuser goes public
ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday agreed to cede control of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by two former aides, granting Attorney General Letitia James the ability to select a lead investigator after previously resisting calls to do so.
Cuomo, a Democrat, had faced calls from elected officials of both parties to acquiesce to an independent investigation after two women went public with claims he harassed them when they worked for him.
Saturday, Cuomo declined to refer the matter to state Attorney General Letitia James, instead directing it to former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones, a former partner at a law firm that included one of the governor’s closest advisers.
By Sunday morning, Cuomo ditched his plan for Jones to investigate amid criticism.
But he still refused to give up total control, instead laying out a plan for James (who is independently elected) and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore (who Cuomo appointed) to jointly select a private attorney with no political affiliation to investigate – a plan James roundly rejected.
Around 5:30 p.m. EST Sunday, Cuomo’s office said he would allow James to select a private attorney to investigate him, agreeing to give the lawyer and their colleagues full investigatory power under state law.
“The Governor’s office wants a thorough and independent review that is above reproach and beyond political interference,” Cuomo special counsel Beth Garvey said in a statement. “Therefore, the Governor’s office has asked Attorney General Tish James to select a qualified private lawyer to do an independent review of allegations of sexual harassment.”
Garvey’s statement came hours after James called for a formal referral under state Executive Law, which gives the governor the ability to refer matters of “public justice” to the attorney general for investigation, complete with the ability to compel people to testify with subpoenas.
By the end of the day, James said she expected to receive the referral she was seeking.
“This is not a responsibility we take lightly,” she said in a statement. “We will hire a law firm, deputize them as attorneys of our office, and oversee a rigorous and independent investigation.”
Without the referral, James’ office could not have performed an investigation with subpoena power.
In her statement Sunday evening, Garvey said Cuomo would ask James to deputize the private lawyer she selects, as well as other lawyers from the attorney’s firm. They would then have all the powers granted under state law.
By refusing to refer the matter to James earlier in the day, Cuomo was taking a different tack than his predecessor, Gov. David Paterson, who had tasked the attorney general in 2010 with probing a domestic-violence scandal within the governor’s office. Gov. Eliot Spitzer also faced an attorney general investigation in 2007.
And nobody would have known about the legal parameters better than Cuomo: He was the attorney general at the time of both previous investigations.
State and federal lawmakers from both parties immediately had raised concern over Cuomo’s Saturday decision to refer the sexual harassment matter to Jones, with some questioning whether Cuomo would give the former judge full independence to follow wherever the facts may lead.
Cuomo’s new plan Sunday afternoon did not quell those concerns: DiFiore, the former Westchester County district attorney, was appointed to her powerful post by Cuomo in 2015 and the two have been longtime political allies.
There was also some constitutional concern: If Cuomo were to face impeachment, as some lawmakers have called for, the impeachment court would be made up of the state Senate and the Court of Appeals, including DiFiore.
Lawmakers wanted Cuomo to cede full control. Lawmakers of both parties in Washington and Albany called for Cuomo to cede to a truly independent investigation.
Among them were the state’s two U.S. senators – Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the state Legislature, all of whom signaled late Saturday and Sunday they would like to see the matter referred to James, the Democratic attorney general.
Also joining the call were House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., among many others – including James herself.
“As has become standard practice in the State of New York when allegations relate directly to the Executive, Governor Cuomo should refer the matter to the Attorney General, who should, in turn, appoint an independent investigator,” Nadler said in a statement.
On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted an investigation should not be “led by an individual selected by the Governor, but by the office of the Attorney General.”
Cuomo faces two scandals at once
Cuomo has been embroiled in scandal on two fronts:
His administration faces a federal investigation for its handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, which was launched after top aide Melissa DeRosa acknowledged holding back death data and information from lawmakers and the public after receiving an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Justice last year.
Two former aides, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.
Boylan wrote an online essay Wednesday claiming Cuomo made inappropriate comments to her and once kissed her on the lips without her consent while she worked for his administration from 2016 to 2018.
In an article published Saturday, Bennett told The New York Times the governor had asked her suggestive, line-crossing questions about her romantic relationships and preferences last year.
Cuomo said in a statement issued late Saturday that he “never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.”
His press secretary issued a blanket denial of Boylan’s claims.
“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments,” Cuomo said. “I will have no further comment until the review has concluded.”
When Cuomo made his initial announcement Saturday, lawmakers questioned Jones’ independence, noting she served as partner at law firm Zuckerman Spaeder at the same time as Steven Cohen, Cuomo’s former top aide and one of his most trusted confidants.
The state Senate’s majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, called for a “truly independent investigation” to begin immediately.
Her spokesman, Mike Murphy, said Cuomo’s pick of Jones did not satisfy that requirement.
The “Attorney General’s Office should handle it,” Murphy wrote in an email.
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s spokesman, Mike Whyland, said the attorney general should get to pick who does the job.
“The review suggested by someone handpicked by the governor himself, is an outrageous, completely unacceptable idea,” Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt said in a statement. “We need a truly independent investigation, which is why I continue to support the calls of my colleagues for a Special Prosecutor appointed by the Attorney General.”
Democratic state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who worked as an attorney in Cuomo’s office, called for the governor’s resignation.
“While a truly independent investigation may uncover more evidence or instances of abuse, the existing details are sufficient for me to form my conclusion,” Biaggi said in a statement.
“As a New Yorker, a legislator, Chair of the Senate Ethics and Internal Governance Committee, and a survivor of sexual abuse, I am calling for Governor Cuomo to resign.”
In her statement Sunday, James called for a referral under Section 63-8 of the state Executive Law, which lays out the governor’s ability to refer matters to the attorney general in a way that cedes broad authority and decisionmaking power.
Such a referral would give James total control over who is selected to commence the investigation.
Cuomo’s plan would limit James and DiFiore to selecting a private-practice attorney with no political affiliation.
Cuomo, who has been governor since 2011, was tasked with investigating governors twice during his one term as attorney general from 2007 through 2010.
“Governor Cuomo should refer the matter to the Attorney General, who should, in turn, appoint an independent investigator.” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.