NEW YORK _ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday directed the attorney general to probe Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's handling of the Harvey Weinstein investigation.
The stunning call for the state's top prosecutor to investigate Manhattan's top prosecutor came after actresses such as Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon, Alyssa Milano and Julianne Moore endorsed a letter to Cuomo asking him "to launch an independent investigation" of Vance.
The letter, written by the advocacy group Time's Up, demanded an inquiry into Vance's decision to not bring charges against Weinstein in 2015 for groping an Italian model, Ambra Battilana.
"There will only be real consequences for abusive behavior when our public officials, sworn to uphold the law, care as much about the rights of the victim as concerns for the accused," read the letter published on New York Magazine's "The Cut" Sunday night.
Cuomo agreed and sicced Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Vance.
"It is of great concern that sexual assault cases have not been pursued with full vigor by our criminal justice system," Cuomo said in a statement Monday night. "Specifically, there are questions about the handling of the 2015 sexual assault case of Ms. Ambra Battilana against Harvey Weinstein. The Manhattan District Attorney is currently in the midst of a separate investigation, which involves witnesses and facts from the 2015 case.
"The Manhattan District Attorney at this point believes this current investigation will be completed within approximately 45 days. It is critical not only that these cases are given the utmost attention but also that there is public confidence in the handling of these cases," the governor continued. "Therefore, I have directed the Attorney General to begin a review of the 2015 case in a way that does not interfere with the current investigation and, at the conclusion of the Manhattan District Attorney's current investigation, to review the entire matter and report to me on its findings. Based on these findings we will decide what further actions may be necessary."
Hollywood celebrities founded Time's Up, a legal defense fund fighting sexual harassment and gender inequality, in January in response to Weinstein and the #MeToo movement.
The letter calling for an investigation of Vance was endorsed by several prominent actresses on Twitter using the hashtag #InvestigateVance.
"TIME'S UP calls on Gov. Andrew Cuomo @NYGovCuomo to open an investigation of NY County DA, Cyrus Vance @manhattanDA, & the DA office to determine why no one prosecuted #HarveyWeinstein for sexual abuse crimes against one of his accusers, Ambra Battilana. #InvestigateVance," Witherspoon wrote.
Globetrotting foodie Anthony Bourdain also joined the effort, tweeting: "Cyrus Vance. Everybody is watching."
Vance spokesman Danny Frost defended the office's work on sex crimes cases.
"We have great admiration for Time's Up and for the courageous women and men who have brought about a long-overdue reckoning with decades of intolerable sexual abuse. Our commitment to justice in these cases is unwavering and we welcome the engagement that powerful advocates like Times Up have brought to this work," Frost said.
"The idea that our office would shrink from the challenge of prosecuting a powerful man is belied by our daily work and unparalleled record of success on behalf of sexual assault survivors."
Vance's handling of the Battilana case was re-examined late last year amid a gush of reports alleging Weinstein's sexual harassment.
"I'm glad that right now there is a lot of people supporting me," Battilana said. "I just wished that this all happened three years ago. But anyway I hope this will be done right this time. Everyone is watching."
Critics noted Weinstein's lawyer, David Boies, donated $10,000 to Vance's re-election campaign in 2015 after the prosecutor chose not to bring charges in the Battilana case.
Vance insisted the money didn't influence his decision-making and reformed his campaign donations system. He and NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill also downplayed friction between prosecutors and detectives regarding the Weinstein case.
The Battilana case prompted reports of a split between prosecutors and the NYPD sex crimes unit, which thought it had enough evidence to warrant charges against the film producer.
Time's Up's letter said claims of influence by Weinstein were "particularly disturbing."
"We are concerned that what appears to be the negative relationship between the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD makes it even less likely that victims who have been assaulted by rich or powerful men will be willing to come forward and that their assailants will be prosecuted and convicted," the group wrote.
Vance's office pointed out that prosecutors and police face different burdens of proof.
"From time to time we'll have our disagreements, but we will never allow them to undermine this shared endeavor," Frost said.
Weinstein attorney Ben Brafman said in a statement that Battilana had called her complaint against the mogul "the result of a misunderstanding."
Police and prosecutors are separately investigating an allegation that Weinstein raped actress Paz de la Huerta twice in 2010. She reported the incident to cops in late October.
Last week, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said the case is "going very, very well" and that a lot of information had been turned over to the grand jury. Vance pledged to "take the time it will take to get it done right."
