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After a second wife accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, the Attorney General rebuffed the governor’s proposal for a review of his conduct, saying it did not fall within the independent investigation set out by law.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Charlotte Bennett, 25, was harassed by the governor while working as an executive assistant and health policy adviser. Since they were alone in the governor’s office at the state capital, he asked her a series of questions about her personal life and relationships that she said were a sexual advance, the Times reported.
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and he felt terribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the Times. “And wondered how I was going to get out of there and assumed it was the end of my job.”
Cuomo’s administration is reportedly also under federal investigation after it came to light that he withheld the true number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes as a way to evade the Trump administration’s investigation. Lawmakers are considering removing major emergency powers he acquired at the outset of the pandemic, while Cuomo himself is increasingly coming under scrutiny after what officials called a government-style bullying style for years.
Bennett came to the fore after another former assistant, Lindsey Boylan, published a detailed report last week on what she had been working on with the governor over the course of a few years. Boylan said sexual harassment and bullying are ongoing, and in 2018, the governor kissed her on the lips.
In statements, Cuomo said Boylan’s account is untrue. He said he also did not make an advance on Bennett and that he did not intend to act improperly towards her.
The governor’s office said it was committed to an independent review of what happened, but so far critics have called the plans toothless and interrogation the influence of Cuomo’s political allies.
Like a true abuser, @NYGovCuomo continues to work behind the scenes to undermine the truth and harm its many victims. His abuse of power never ends. He cannot choose his judge and jury. We do. And what is very clear to me is that the governor must resign.
Cuomo first came under fire for his initial plan to award the review of what happened to former federal judge Barbara Jones to fellow Democrats in the state. say an independent investigator – someone not selected by Cuomo – should take the lead.
Then, on Sunday, the governor’s office announced that it had asked the New York Attorney General and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal to jointly select an “independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation” to conduct an investigation and to write a public report. .
‘All members of the governor’s office will cooperate fully. “We will not comment further until the report is released,” said a statement from Beth Garvey, special adviser and senior adviser to the governor.
State Attorney General Leticia James said the allegations required an independent investigation. Under state law, the governor must formally refer such an investigation to the attorney’s office.
Sunday afternoon, that has not happened yet, a spokesman for James told BuzzFeed News. Without it, Cuomo’s conduct lacks the power of summons, so witness statements and documents will be limited to what is provided voluntarily.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to questions from BuzzFeed News about the lack of reference.
Although I have deep respect for Chief Justice DiFiore, I am the duly elected Attorney General and it is my responsibility to carry out this task. The governor must provide this reference so that an independent inquiry can be conducted with the subpoena force.
As set out in state law, investigations referred to the Attorney General also do not involve a judge having to appoint an investigator. Cuomo’s request that the Attorney General, together with Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal Janet DiFiore, choose an investigator, raised questions after it was announced. According to a court spokesperson, DiFiore did not comment.
DiFiore was appointed by Cuomo to her role in 2015, and her daughter easily got a trial earlier this year after Cuomo moved her main opponent, reports the New York Law Journal.
James said she did not accept the proposal.
“While I have deep respect for Chief Justice DiFiore, I am the duly elected Attorney General and it is my responsibility to carry out this task,” she said.