AG releases interview transcripts in Cuomo harassment probe
» Over an 11-hour interview with investigators last July, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo defiantly denied allegations he sexually harassed women and sparred with the lawyers questioning him, accusing one of being out to get him, according to a transcript released on Wednesday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James made public hundreds of pages of transcripts of interviews conducted by two independent lawyers, hired by her office, during their monthslong probe of sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.
In their interviews with investigators, conducted over several months, the women accusing Cuomo of misconduct laid out their horror stories of working for a boss who made comments about women’s looks, asked questions about sex and gave inappropriate touches and kisses.
The transcripts covered interviews done with 10 of the women who accused Cuomo of misconduct, plus the interview that Cuomo himself gave on July 17.
Most of the allegations, and Cuomo’s defenses, have been aired publicly before in interviews, news conferences and a report published by James’ office in August that sparked public outrage and pushed Cuomo to resign from office. But the transcripts offer a new level of detail on the allegations against the Democrat and Cuomo’s confrontational interview.
During the interrogation, Cuomo insisted he was careful in how he behaved around women and said several of his accusers had misrepresented what happened. He also bristled at a groping allegation by an aide, Brittany Commisso, who said Cuomo had pulled her toward him and grabbed her breast in the governor’s mansion.
Cuomo, 63, said it would be “not even feasible” for him to have done that, especially since he believed his conduct was constantly under scrutiny by enemies, including one of the lawyers then investigating him, former acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim.
“You’ve investigated me for six years,” Cuomo told Kim, referring to corruption investigations conducted by federal prosecutors during Kim’s tenure, including one that sent one of Cuomo’s close friends to prison. “I would have to lose my mind to do some — such a thing. It would be an act of insanity to touch a woman’s breast and make myself vulnerable to a woman for such an accusation.”