Gov. Andrew Cuomo violated federal and state laws, Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday, finding he “sexually harassed multiple women” and then retaliated against the victims when they came forward creating a “toxic” atmosphere in the executive chamber.
The blockbuster announcement Tuesday is the result of a probe that found Cuomo engaged in “unwanted groping, kissing, hugging and making inappropriate comments,” James said.
James alerted reporters to an 11 a.m. news conference in her Lower Manhattan office without revealing the subject but sources familiar with the matter said it will involve the investigation she launched in March.
The probe involved accusations that Cuomo, 63, sexually harassed several current and former female staffers, most of whom are in their 20s or 30s.
The most serious allegation made public to date came from a current aide who says Cuomo reached under her blouse and groped her inside his Executive Mansion office in Albany last year.
James hired two outside lawyers — former acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim and employment discrimination expert Anne Clark — to conduct the probe and Cuomo was grilled for about 11 hours in his Manhattan office last month, the New York Times reported Monday.
At several points, the July 17 session — which was recorded on video — got heated when Cuomo confronted Kim over his role in previous federal investigations of the governor and his allies, the Times said.
Last week, several lawyers involved in the investigation also toured the Executive Mansion and Cuomo’s offices in the state Capitol, where the alleged harassment is said to have taken place, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing two people familiar with the inquiry.
Cuomo has apologized for acting “in a way that made people feel uncomfortable” but has repeatedly denied having “touched anyone inappropriately” or engaged in other misconduct.