By: Ellen Cans
The sexual harassment probe led by Attorney General Letitia James against Governor Andrew Cuomo is entering the next phase. The women accusing the governor have already been question at length by the AG and her group of lawyers, and so have Cuomo’s inner circle. Now it’s the governor’s turn to be grilled.
As reported by the NY Post, Gov. Cuomo has been preparing to face questioning all week, with the help of his own lawyer, Rita Glavin, a former US Department of Justice official. On Saturday, Cuomo faced the probe, spending roughly 13 hours in Manhattan. AG James hired outside lawyers to conduct the interviews, with former Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim, and Anne Clark, a top employment lawyer, leading the probe.
The governor was expected to answer questions under oath. The meeting was held with utmost secrecy. There was no schedule posted and reporters were under the impression it was being held it Albany. However, it now appears that Gov. Cuomo left Albany with a State Police chopper at about 6 a.m. heading for Manhattan. As per the Post, the state helicopter landed at 7:13 am in Manhattan. Cuomo was seen wearing a suit at the end of the day, boarding the chopper again at roughly 7:50 p.m. at the West 30th Street Heliport. He was accompanied by his secretary Stephanie Benton. Cuomo arrived back at the Executive Mansion at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Four of the women who accused Cuomo’s had been issued subpoenas back in May, and already testified for the AG’s probe. Debra Katz, a lawyer for Charlotte Bennett, 26, who was a former aide to the governor and is one of the women alleging misconduct, said that Cuomo had initially “admitted his inappropriate behavior” and apologized, but later retracted and denied wrongdoing. “He will not be able to deflect questions like he has at his press conference and he will not be able to play with words,” Katz said in a statement. “Will he admit to his inappropriate behavior, or will he continue his ridiculous lies and victim blaming? Which story will he tell this time?”
Cuomo has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and said he didn’t mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable. A Cuomo spokesman told the Times Union on Thursday, “We have said repeatedly that the governor doesn’t want to comment on this review until he has cooperated.” The spokesman did not respond to questions about the inquiry on Saturday.
