The New York governor’s office, Andrew Cuomo, said on Sunday that it was asking the state attorney general and the chief judge to appoint an independent investigator to examine allegations of sexual harassment made against him.
The announcement came after top Democrats said Cuomo had not gone far enough to guarantee the independence of the inquiry into the claims, made separately by two former advisers last week. Cuomo denied the charges, but said on Saturday that he had appointed a federal judge to review them.
“The governor’s office wants a review of the allegations of sexual harassment made against the governor to be carried out blamelessly,” Beth Garvey, special adviser and senior adviser to Cuomo, said in a statement. “We selected former federal judge Barbara Jones, with an excellent track record in terms of qualifications and integrity, but we want to avoid even the perceived lack of independence or political inference.”
“Consequently, we asked the New York State Attorney General and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals to jointly select an independent and qualified lawyer in private practice, with no political affiliation, to conduct a thorough review of the matter and issue a report. public, “she continued. “The proceeds of the work will be controlled exclusively by that independent lawyer personally chosen by the attorney general and the chief judge.
Garvey added that “all members of the governor’s cabinet will cooperate fully.”
New York Attorney General Tish James said in a separate statement that she is ready to lead an independent investigation in Cuomo.
“Allegations of sexual harassment must always be taken seriously,” James said in a statement. “There must be a truly independent investigation to thoroughly review these disturbing allegations against the governor, and I am ready to supervise that investigation and make the necessary appointments. “
James’ statement came after several prominent Democrats called for an independent investigation of Cuomo after several allegations of sexual harassment by former advisers.
The calls came after Cuomo’s former aide, Charlotte Bennett, 25, told the New York Times that Cuomo had made several inappropriate comments about his sex life. Cuomo denied the accusations, which NBC News did not report independently, saying that “he never made progress against Ms. Bennett nor did I intend to act inappropriately”.
The governor also called for “a complete and complete external review”. In the same statement, Garvey said that former federal judge Barbara Jones would conduct an independent investigation and that Cuomo’s team would be required to cooperate.
Democrats said the initial investigation announced by the governor’s office did not look like real independence.
“No, I wouldn’t consider it independent,” Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday. “It should be, I would say, the New York attorney general.”
A spokesman for Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in a statement: “Senator Schumer has long believed that sexual harassment is never acceptable and should not be tolerated, and that the allegations must be investigated in a complete and independent way “.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., also on Sunday called for “an independent, transparent and swift investigation into these serious and deeply worrying allegations.”
Bennett’s claim is the second made against Cuomo by a former aide since December. Last week, Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser from 2015 to 2018, expanded on a December tweet saying the governor “has sexually harassed me for years”. In that account, Boylan detailed her experience, which she said included an unwanted kiss from Cuomo. In a statement to NBC in New York about these allegations, Cuomo’s spokeswoman, Caitlin Girouard, said: “There is simply no truth to these allegations.”
“Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett’s detailed accounts of sexual harassment by Governor Cuomo are extremely serious and painful to read,” MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y, tweeted on Sunday. “There must be an independent investigation – not conducted by an individual chosen by the governor, but by the attorney general’s office.”
Speaking with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden believes that Bennett and Boylan “should be treated with respect and dignity”.
“There must be an independent review of these claims,” she said. “They are serious. It was difficult to read this story as a woman. And that process must move forward as quickly as possible and that is something that we all support and the president supports.
Frank Thorp V contributed.