Faced with mounting political pressure over allegations of sexual harassment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday he would support the appointment of an independent special investigator to investigate the claims against him. Cuomo also made a number of statements on Sunday, including one in the evening in which he apologized and said he “never intended to insult anyone or do any harm.”
Cuomo, a Democrat, initially called on the Attorney General and Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals to jointly appoint “an independent and qualified attorney” to “thoroughly investigate the case and issue a public report.”
After returning to his initial request for the investigation, Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement that her office “will hire a law firm, replace them as our firm’s attorneys and oversee a rigorous and independent investigation.”
James, a former ally of Cuomo, rejected the governor’s original proposal, saying she alone has the authority to investigate the allegations once the governor formally refers the matter to her office.
“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, under the law,” said James, referring to the Chief Justice. “The Governor should provide this referral so that an independent subpoena investigation can be conducted.”
Earlier Sunday, James said she was “ready” to oversee an investigation and “make any arrangements.”
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Cuomo’s support for an independent investigation is a sea change, after his special counsel said Saturday night that a judge selected by the governor’s cabinet would investigate the charges, a scheme widely condemned as inadequate by elected officials statewide.
In a story published Saturday, a former assistant told The New York Times that Cuomo harassed her at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The woman, Charlotte Bennett, told the Times that Cuomo had asked her if she was open to a relationship with an older man – an encounter she interpreted as a sexual undertone. Bennett, 25, told the Times that when she told Cuomo’s chief of staff about the meeting, she was transferred to another job on the other side of the capital.
Cuomo responded Saturday night with a statement that he believed he was acting as a mentor and that he “never made any progress towards Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to do anything that was inappropriate.”
In an updated statement Sunday evening, Cuomo said he “never intended to insult or harm anyone. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often personal friends too.”
“At work, I sometimes think I’m playful and make jokes that I think are funny,” said Cuomo. “I occasionally tease people in what I think is a benign way. I do it in public and in private. You’ve seen me do it hundreds of times in briefings. I’ve teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about to marry or not to marry. I mean no insult and just try to add some levity and teasing to what is a very serious matter. “
He argued that his actions may have been ‘misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. If anyone felt that way, I really regret it. ‘
The allegations came the same week that another ex-assistant, former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor Lindsey Boylan, accused him of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments. Cuomo has denied those allegations.
The furor also comes as the governor fights another scandal, with federal authorities investigating how his administration dealt with nursing home patients in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent weeks, Cuomo and his government have been forced to admit that the COVID-19 death toll for nursing home residents is nearly 15,000, nearly double the previous number. The figure of 15,000 includes patients in long-term care facilities and those who died after being taken to hospital.
As the Trump administration opened an investigation into Cuomo’s handling of the nursing home data, criticism rose after a top assistant allowed she was concerned that the data would be “used against us.”
While some Republicans and Democrats have begun calling for Cuomo to resign amid the allegations, others, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, have called for him to be stripped of the emergency governance powers given him at the height of the pandemic.
Cuomo is currently in his third term as governor, which is expected to expire in 2022.