Investigators from the New York state attorney general’s office are expected to interview Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday as part of the ongoing inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations against him, according to two people familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
The questioning would come months after several of Mr Cuomo’s former aides and employees accused him of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour. One former aide to the governor, Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that he asked her invasive personal questions that she interpreted as sexual advances. Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, detailed allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Cuomo spanning several years.
Mr Cuomo has apologised if anything he said may “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation” but has denied ever inappropriately touching or propositioning anyone in his office.
After mounting political pressure and calls for him to resign, Mr Cuomo in February reversed course and said he would refer an investigation of the accusations against him to New York Attorney General Letitia James. He has refused to resign despite uproar from both Democrats and Republicans, including a majority of his state’s congressional delegation.
A representative for Ms James declined to comment Thursday. A spokesman for Mr Cuomo said the latest developments suggested the inquiry was politically motivated.
“We have said repeatedly that the governor doesn’t want to comment on this review until he has cooperated, but the continued leaks are more evidence of the transparent political motivation of the Attorney General’s review,” Mr Cuomo’s spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement.
Ms James’s investigation into Mr Cuomo’s workplace conduct comes amid several other probes that are scrutinising aspects of the Cuomo administration, in which at least a dozen current and former staffers have been interviewed, The Washington Post reported last month.
The Washington Post
