Topline
Lawyers representing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday unleashed a litany of attacks on the “fairness” of the bombshell sexual harassment investigation released earlier this week by the state attorney general’s office, decrying it as an “ambush” against the Democractic governor “conducted in a manner to support a premeditated narrative.”
Key Facts
In what is the most in-depth response from Cuomo’s team yet, three lawyers for the governor—Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi and Rita Glavin—disparaged the report and its most severe allegations at a Friday afternoon press conference.
The lawyers complained they were not given the opportunity to view and respond to the report before it was published Tuesday, and said they have still not been given the “underlying evidence” that the attorney general’s office says backs up the allegations of sexual harassment. from 11 different women.
“I know the difference between putting together a case with a target in mind and doing independent fact checking with an open mind,” said Glavin, continuing: “There has been no open-minded fact finding here.”
Glavin zeroed in on the allegations from an unnamed aide to the governor who claimed she was groped by him in the executive mansion last year, and who filed a criminal complaint Thursday over the incident.
Glavin argued the aide’s account of the alleged groping is invalidated by reconstructing the events of the day, though the attorney general report highlights that the aide does not remember the exact day the alleged incident happened.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office responded to the press conference in a statement highlighting the “mountain of evidence” corroborating the accounts of accusers.
Crucial Quote
“The governor deserves to be treated fairly … That did not happen here,” Glavin said of the investigation Cuomo himself signed off earlier this year. “This was one-sided and he was ambushed.”
Chief Critic
“After multiple women made accusations that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed them, the governor, himself, requested that Attorney General James oversee an independent investigation,” the attorney general’s office wrote. “To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women.”
What To Watch For
During a brief Q&A portion of the press conference, the lawyers were asked about the allegation seen for the first time in the AG report that Cuomo sexually harassed a female state trooper. “The governor will address that allegation himself,” Glavin said, though she did not outline a particular time frame.
Key Background
While Cuomo has continued to deny the allegations, the state attorney general’s investigation, whose findings were summarized in a 165-page report, backed up claims of sexual harassment from 11 different women, including current and former employees. Cuomo harassed these women by “engaging in unwelcome and non-consensual touching and making numerous comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women,” James, a Democrat, announced at a Tuesday morning press conference. One of the investigators also said his team found some women “suffered through unwanted touching and grabbing of their most intimate body parts.”
What To Watch For
The release of this report has unleashed a wave of calls for Cuomo’s resignation and has expedited a state-level investigation into whether the governor should be impeached. It has also already started to draw mounting legal trouble for the governor, who is now being criminal investigated by five different prosecutors’ offices, including that of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. Another woman accusing the governor of sexual harassment, Lindsey Boylan, has also signaled she plans to launch legal action against him.
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Cuomo Lawyers Disparage Attorney General Report, Say Governor Was ‘Ambushed’ - Forbes
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