Impeachment probe
Heastie: Judiciary Committee will produce a report detailing Cuomo findings.
The state Assembly committee tasked with conducting an impeachment investigation of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will produce a report detailing its findings, Speaker Carl E. Heastie said Monday morning.
Heastie’s announcement follows bipartisan demands from lawmakers and also from some of those who were said to be harassed by Cuomo that the investigation not be dropped by the Judiciary Committee, which has spent months on the matter.
“In doing so, the committee will take all appropriate steps to ensure that this effort does not interfere with various ongoing investigations,” Heastie said. There are concurrent investigations by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies into controversies involving Cuomo, including his $5.1 million book deal that included assistance from government employees and his administration’s reporting of nursing home deaths.
The Times Union first reported the Assembly is planning to publish a report, citing a text that was sent to committee members on Saturday.
On Friday, Heastie said the committee would end its impeachment investigation and turn over relevant information to investigative authorities. The decision to neither impeach nor release a report was quickly criticized by other legislators. On Sunday, Charlotte Bennett, one of the governor’s aides who was found to have been harassed by him, according to the attorney general’s report, called Heastie a “coward” for not concluding the investigation.
The cost of the investigations related to Cuomo is valued at $10.3 million, according to contracts held by the state comptroller’s office.
The cost is expected to increase when final numbers are totaled and additional contracts are finalized.