By: Ellen Cans
The four women who have accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct, have now been formally asked to testify under oath, as the state investigation gains traction.
As reported by the NY Times, the subpoenas were issued as part of the next critical stage of the state attorney general’s probe. The women have already been questioned at length, but not under oath. The investigation, which AG Letitia James started in March, may likely be completed by the end of the summer, as per a source for the Times, even though a deadline has not been set.
The AGS’s office interviews will be led by Joon H. Kim, a former federal prosecutor, together with Anne L. Clark, a prominent employment lawyer. As per the Times, Mr. Kim, is looking into whether the governor or his aides broke any laws, tampered with evidence or sought retaliation against the accusers. Ms. Clark is looking for supporting documentation from the women, and has already amassed evidence including text messages, emails and photographs. The lawyers also issued subpoenas for a wide range of executive chamber staff members, requesting emails, and other documents dating as far back as 2013.
The simultaneous state Assembly investigation, which began after Ms. James’ inquiry, is underway at a much slower pace, albeit it covers a broader scope. It has drawn criticism, with some lawmakers calling it an effort to buy the governor time. The Assembly’s probe is being led by Martine Beamon, Greg D. Andres, and Angela Burgess with law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. No subpoenas have been issued in this probe, probably because of the difficulty of getting the same witnesses to testify a second time.
One of the Governor’s accusers, subpoenaed in the AG’s investigation, is Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to the governor who claims Mr. Cuomo made sexual advances when they were alone in his Albany office. Her lawyer, Debra Katz, said that Bennett will provide testimony under oath within the next two weeks. Katz told the Times that Ms. Bennett, 25, has already provided over “120 pages of contemporaneous records”. Katz has already written a letter to the Assembly lawyers saying her client will find it “needlessly exhausting,” to go through a second set of testimonies, requesting that the probe rely on the account given in the AG’s investigation.
Gov. Cuomo, 63, has repeated denied any wrongdoing. “If I just made you feel uncomfortable, that is not harassment, that is feeling uncomfortable,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I never said anything I believed was inappropriate. I never meant to make you feel that way.”
