NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York Attorney General Letitia James is calling for an official referral from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to investigate sexual harassment allegations against him.
The attorney general released the following statement
Allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously. There must be a truly independent investigation to thoroughly review these troubling allegations against the governor, and I stand ready to oversee that investigation and make any appointments necessary. Given state law, this can only be accomplished through an official referral from the governor’s office based on State Law (§ 63-8) and must include subpoena power. I urge the governor to make this referral immediately.
Beth Garvey, special counsel to Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Cuomo administration is asking Attorney General James and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals to select an independent private lawyer to review the allegations.
The governor's office says it is fully cooperating with any investigation.
The special counsel to the governor says it is leaving all decisions regarding the investigation to the independent counsel selected by Attorney General James and the Chief Judge.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Attorney General James said she is not accepting the proposal from Gov. Cuomo
While I have deep respect for Chief Judge DiFiore, I am the duly elected attorney general and it is my responsibility to carry out this task.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) February 28, 2021
The governor must provide this referral so an independent investigation with subpoena power can be conducted.