New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his office have so far retained four law firms in light of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, as well as state and federal investigations.
A spokesman for the State Comptroller’s Office, Thomas DiNapoli, told the Albany Times Union that Cuomo’s office had not submitted any of the attorney’s contracts for approval to the inspectorate’s office, which is required for contracts in excess of $ 50,000.
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“It’s the agency’s job to submit the contact in time for approval, and a seller would be at risk without the necessary approval from our office,” Matthew Ryan said.
According to the Times Union, partners at law firms Arnold & Porter and Walden Macht & Haran represent Cuomo’s executive chamber in the face of multiple allegations of sexual harassment against the governor. The newspaper also reported that attorney Rita Glavin represents Cuomo in his personal capacity over allegations that he touched a female staff member, and that the firm represents Morvillo Abramowitz Cuomo’s office in light of a federal investigation.
Fox News reached out to each firm and Cuomo’s office to ask who was paying for the legal costs, but at the time of this publication, no one was responding.
Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s senior adviser, told the Times Union that Cuomo’s office was “finalizing these contracts and related documents for review and approval by the accountant’s office,” and that there was nothing unusual about this process. by going after the representation has already begun. .
“We adhere to all applicable rules and standards and in cases like this it is not uncommon for legal representation to begin while the contracts are being drawn up simultaneously for filing,” he said. “If you do it differently, it could leave the room and its employees without representation.”
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The governor has denied the allegations against several women, including current and former staff members, that he sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them. At the same time, his office is being investigated for dealing with deaths in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic due to failure to accurately report the number of accidents. This follows a mandate requiring nursing homes to admit residents who were discharged from hospitals after being treated for COVID-19.
Cuomo apologized for commenting that made people uncomfortable, but insisted he never intended to offend. He otherwise denied all violations.
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There will be precedent for Cuomo to use his campaign funds to cover his attorney fees. Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman spent nearly $ 340,000 of his re-election committee in 2018 while investigating the abuse of women to pay the law firm Clayman & Rosenberg.
“In general, if you are an elected official, you can use your contributions to the campaign as a release card,” Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group at the time, told the Associated Press. said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.