Cuomo questions neutrality of AG investigators

NEW YORK – Gov. Andrew Cuomo projected assurance Monday that he'll yet beryllium exonerated of allegations of intersexual harassment, but helium besides questioned the neutrality of the lawyers hired to analyse his behavior.

Speaking astatine his archetypal quality league successful astir 2 weeks, Cuomo said helium had “concerns arsenic to the independency of the reviewers," hired by authorities Attorney General Letitia James.

Attacking the integrity of the probe is an attack Cuomo has progressively turned to successful caller weeks — to the irritation of immoderate members of his ain enactment who had wide praised the lawyers starring the probe arsenic apolitical and fair.

James appointed Joon Kim, the erstwhile acting U.S. lawyer for Manhattan, and the employment favoritism lawyer Anne Clark to behaviour the probe. The lawyers person spent months present speaking to women who accidental Cuomo subjected them to inappropriate kisses and touching oregon inappropriate intersexual remarks. One woman, an adjutant to Cuomo, has said helium groped her breasts.

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“Do a small history. Go to Google,” Cuomo told reporters astatine a property league astatine Yankee Stadium successful the Bronx. “Google the autarkic investigators.”

He didn't elaborate, but his comments appeared to beryllium a notation to Kim's enactment arsenic a national prosecutor. In that role, Kim helped nonstop an anti-corruption probe that sent 1 of Cuomo’s apical aides and adjacent friends, Joseph Percoco, to prison. Percoco was convicted of accepting much than $300,000 from companies that wanted power with Cuomo’s administration.

Kim besides was a elder fig successful the U.S. attorney’s bureau during its probe of corruption successful Cuomo’s “Buffalo Billion” economical improvement program. A Cuomo ally, the erstwhile caput of the State University of New York’s Polytechnic Institute was convicted.

The seat of the New York Assembly's judiciary committee, Charles Lavine, wrote a missive to Cuomo past week informing his bureau to halt disparaging the investigators. At the time, Cuomo's spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, had been implying connected societal media that James' probe was motivated by a tendency to tally for governor.

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“It is evident that attempts to demean the Attorney General service arsenic good to undermine the probe and nonstop profoundly antagonistic signals to witnesses,” Lavine wrote.

Throughout the spring, arsenic helium faced calls for his resignation, Cuomo had taken a antithetic approach, praising James and her squad and urging the nationalist to hold for the results of the probe earlier judging his conduct.

“Let the Attorney General bash her job,” helium said successful March. “She’s precise good. She’s precise competent. And that volition beryllium owed process and past we’ll person the facts.”

Cuomo, James and Lavine are each Democrats.

Cuomo was said to person been scheduled to conscionable 2 weekends agone with James' investigators. Azzopardi has declined to accidental whether that gathering took place.

Cuomo, who has denied allegations helium inappropriately touched pistillate aides and different women, said helium is “eager” for New Yorkers to get the facts of what happened.

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“And I deliberation erstwhile they perceive the existent facts of what happened and however the concern has been handled, I deliberation they’re going to beryllium shocked, shocked," helium said.

Separately, different squad of lawyers moving for the authorities Assembly is investigating whether determination are grounds to impeach Cuomo. James' study is expected to play a captious relation successful the Assembly's impeachment inquiry, though Lavine's committee has hired its ain squad of lawyers to stitchery evidence.

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