N.Y. state Assembly nears the end of its Cuomo investigation
The New York state Assembly will be releasing information about its investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s alleged misconduct as early as later this month, according to Assemblyman Charles Lavine.
The Assembly convened on Monday to continue its impeachment investigation into Cuomo. It had begun an investigation in March, looking into several possible misconduct cases, including Cuomo’s handling of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the release of state Attorney General Letitia James’s report on Tuesday, which found that Cuomo had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, the Assembly has worked to expedite its impeachment process.
“As early as later this month, we will discuss the evidence publicly in an open and transparent manner — once the investigation is completed or very close to completion,” Lavine said before the Judiciary Committee entered its executive session on Monday.
In a press conference following the session, Lavine announced that the committee would convene again on Aug. 16 and Aug. 23, by which they will finalize a schedule of public hearings to determine whether Cuomo committed an impeachable offense. These hearings, which will take place over several days, will feature independent experts on a range of topics, including sexual misconduct and New York’s state impeachment process. After the committee reviews the evidence presented in the hearings, it will make a recommendation to the full assembly on whether to proceed with the impeachment process.
“We anticipate that this impeachment process will be concluded very soon. And when I say very soon, I’m speaking about several weeks,” Lavine said.
The Assembly has requested that Cuomo and his legal team submit any defense evidence by Friday.
“The governor will have the opportunity to address issues of sexual harassment, as well as issues relating to the abuse of public resources to write his book, allegations relating to the nursing home deaths and the various statements and reports relating to that issue, allegations relating to preferential access to COVID-19 testing, and any other issues the governor wishes to address,” Lavine said.
While Cuomo continues to give no indication that he plans to step down, despite being called on to resign by various lawmakers and politicians, including President Biden, and some of his top aides are leaving their posts.
Melissa DeRosa, one of the governor’s top strategists and most loyal aides, announced her resignation on Sunday. She was mentioned nearly 200 times in the state attorney general’s damning report, which also found that she spearheaded attempts to retaliate against Lindsey Boylan, an ex-aide who spoke out against Cuomo in December.
DeRosa had also been involved in the Cuomo administration’s efforts to downplay the extent of coronavirus deaths that occurred in New York’s nursing homes. In a private call with Democratic lawmakers, she admitted that the administration withheld data because it was afraid it would be investigated by the Trump administration’s Justice Department.
Roberta Kaplan, who is accused of working with DeRosa in her retaliation efforts against Boylan, resigned Monday from her position as chairwoman and co-founder of the legal defense fund at Time’s Up, an organization founded by Hollywood women to fight sexual harassment and promote gender equality.
DeRosa testified during the attorney general’s inquiry that Kaplan, who is also a founding partner of a private law firm, was her lawyer. The attorney general’s report found that Kaplan reviewed and approved a draft of an op-ed letter that attacked Boylan and denied her accusations.
“Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers. We have felt the raw, personal and profound pain of that betrayal,” Kaplan wrote in her resignation letter. “It has raised important questions about how and why Times [sic] Up does what it does, as well as demands on the part of advocates and staff for a kind of radical transparency.”
One of the 11 women whom Cuomo allegedly harassed broke her silence Monday morning. In an interview with “CBS This Morning” and the Albany, N.Y., Times Union, Brittany Commisso, previously known as "Executive Assistant #1," shared her story in detail.
“I believe that he groped me, he touched me, not only once but twice,” Commisso said. She went on to say that the hugs she received from the governor had “the intention of getting some personal, sexual satisfaction.”
Commisso never intended to go public with her allegations, but she described arriving at a “tipping point” when she saw Cuomo deny every accusation.
“He almost has this smirk that he thinks that he’s untouchable,” Commisso said. “I almost feel like he has this sense of almost a celebrity status, and it just — that was the tipping point. I broke down. I said, ‘He is lying.’”
A simple majority vote from lawmakers in the Assembly would impeach Cuomo. A trial would then be held in the state Senate, in which Democrats are also in the majority. If Cuomo is convicted, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would assume the gubernatorial position.
When asked what would be done if Cuomo resigns, Lavine said: “Because he’s already out of office, an impeachment itself is going to be moot; it’s not going to be meaningful. But there would be the opportunity in the court of impeachment to prohibit him from ever again occupying statewide office.”
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