Debra Katz, who is representing a woman accusing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of harassment, claimed he is interfering with the attorney general’s investigation:
Ex-Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett’s lawyer cited a recent report “that the Executive Chamber is providing staffers with in-house attorneys to meet with them in advance of their investigatory interviews…and to attend those interviews with them.”“It is my understanding that these attorneys are also ‘debriefing’ staffers after their interviews with investigators,” lawyer Debra Katz wrote in a letter to Attorney General Letitia James.“This is highly improper and we object in the strongest possible terms to this obvious interference with what you have stated would be a ‘thorough and independent’ investigation.”
Katz noted that accompanying the staffers “will have a chilling effect on potential witnesses or other accusers who wish to come forward.” She claimed she spoke to witnesses who “fear retaliation if they refuse to cooperate with the Executive Chamber’s lawyers.”
“We believe that this offer of counsel constitutes a deliberate attempt by the Governor to interfere with your office’s investigation.”
James’s office did not respond to the Times Union when asked for a comment. I do not know if she has responded to Katz.
But an attorney for a woman who accused Cuomo of groping her spoke to the Times Union about the situation:
“It’s absurd. Why would you be doing that?” said the attorney for the woman who has accused Cuomo of groping her. “It’s not appropriate, and obviously we’re concerned with the ramifications and the effect on witnesses and the quest for the truth.”He characterized it as a “shadow investigation.”
The woman has not filed a formal complaint. The woman and attorney do not want their names revealed to the public.
The governor’s office still employs the woman.
Cuomo’s acting counsel responded:
Beth Garvey, the governor’s acting counsel, issued a statement late Wednesday: “We fully informed the (attorney general’s) office of the required process with this type of allegation and they said to follow it. The matter was referred to GOER (Governor’s Office of Employee Relations) and (we) informed local law enforcement and that is the full extent of the action.”Previously, the governor’s administration has distanced itself from GOER, contending it is a separate office that conducts sexual harassment and other employee investigations without involvement from the Executive Chamber. Last June, the governor’s office handled the sexual harassment allegations of another female aide, Charlotte Bennett, without referring the matter to GOER.
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