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Andrew Cuomo calls for independent investigation into sexual harassment

2021-02-28T23:22:25.517Z


The governor of New York told an independent prosecutor to conduct "a thorough review" of allegations of sexual harassment against him.


Representative accuses Governor Cuomo of threatening him 2:07

(CNN) -

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo changed course Sunday, asking the New York attorney general and the chief judge of the state appellate court to jointly select an independent prosecutor to conduct "a comprehensive review. »Of allegations of sexual harassment against him.

The Democratic governor's office had initially selected former federal judge Barbara Jones to investigate allegations of sexual harassment made against the governor by two former aides.

The election found a quick reaction, however, even from several high-profile Democrats in the state, such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a longtime opponent of Cuomo, who stressed the importance of someone who does not be the governor elect an independent person to lead the effort.

Cuomo would now ask New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chief Justice Janet DiFiore to elect "an independent and qualified prosecutor in private practice with no political affiliation" to conduct a "comprehensive review" and issue a report on the matter, in an effort to "avoid even the perception of a lack of independence or policy inference," Beth Garvey, special counsel and chief adviser to the governor, said in a statement Sunday.

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"The governor's office wants allegations of sexual harassment against the Governor to be reviewed in an irreproachable manner," Garvey said, adding that Cuomo's office "will cooperate fully" with the investigation.

James issued two statements Sunday, emphasizing the conditions under which his office could conduct an independent investigation.

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«To clarify, I do not accept the governor's proposal.

State Executive Law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral, ”said James.

“While I have deep respect for Chief Judge DiFiore, I am the duly elected attorney general and it is my responsibility to carry out this task under Executive Law.

The governor must provide this referral so that an independent investigation with power of subpoena can be conducted.

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The sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo

The allegations against Cuomo that will be investigated include one that surfaced Saturday night in a New York Times article.

Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former executive adviser and health policy adviser to Cuomo, told the newspaper that during one of several awkward encounters, Cuomo asked her questions about her sex life during a conversation at her state Capitol office and He said he was open to relationships with women in their 20s.

She interpreted the exchange, which she said took place in June as the state battled the pandemic, as what the newspaper called "clear proposals for a sexual relationship."

CNN reached out to Bennett for comment on the latest allegation, which the governor denied in a statement Saturday.

"The last thing I would have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported," Cuomo said, saying that "she came to me and opened up about being a survivor of sexual assault" and that "I tried to be supportive and helpful ».

Another sexual harassment complaint against Andrew Cuomo

Lindsey Boylan, another former Cuomo adviser, made a separate allegation, who wrote a detailed post on Medium last week about her own allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, which her aides have said are not true.

Boylan alleged in the Medium post that Cuomo invited her to "play strip poker" during a 2017 flight in his taxpayer-funded plane while another attendee sat next to her and a state trooper behind her.

In 2018, Boylan said, Cuomo surprised her by kissing her on the lips after a personalized briefing on economic and infrastructure projects at his New York City office.

Cuomo denied Boylan's allegations at a press conference in December when he first made them.

In a statement released by the governor's press secretary on Wednesday, four other people said they were on October flights with her and that "this conversation did not happen."

CNN has been unable to corroborate the allegations, and when asked for further comment, Boylan, who is currently running for president of the borough of Manhattan, responded that he was letting his Medium post speak for itself.

She wrote in the post that she hoped sharing her story would "clear the way for other women to do the same."

Among the Democrats who asked Cuomo to allow the attorney general and chief judge to appoint an independent investigator is New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, who wrote in a tweet Saturday: "As has become standard practice in the state of New York when the allegations are directly related to the executive, Governor Cuomo shall refer the matter to the attorney general, who in turn shall appoint an independent investigator. "

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez similarly wrote on Twitter Sunday that "there must be an independent investigation, not one led by an individual selected by the governor" to investigate the allegations, which she called "extremely serious and painful to read.


- CNN's Maeve Reston contributed to this report.

Andrew Cuomo

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-02-28

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