New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asks state AG, top judge to launch harassment probe

Garvey said the Democratic Governor’s administration has asked Attorney-General Letitia James and Janet DiFiore, chief judge of the Court of Appeals, to jointly select “an independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation to conduct a thorough review of the matter and issue a public report.”

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Garvey said that report would be solely controlled by the lawyer doing the review.

The administration’s proposal came almost simultaneously with a statement from James calling on Cuomo to issue an executive order putting her in exclusive control of the inquiry. She said such a referral would empower to issue subpoenas, enforceable in court.

“There must be a truly independent investigation to thoroughly review these troubling allegations against the governor, and I stand ready to oversee that investigation and make any appointments necessary,” James said. “I urge the Governor to make this referral immediately.”

The crisis now enveloping Cuomo’s office developed rapidly after a second woman on Saturday went public with a story about being harassed by the governor in the workplace.

Charlotte Bennett, a low-level aide in the governor’s administration until November, told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men.

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Her accusation came days after another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the Governor, elaborated on harassment allegations she first made in December. Boylan said Cuomo subjected her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments.

Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday he had intended to be a mentor for Bennett, who is 25. He has denied Boylan’s allegations.