Former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo filed a lengthy state ethics complaint Tuesday against Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, accusing her of willful mishandling. investigation discovered that he had sexually harassed many former and current government employees.
Mr. Cuomo, who resign in August 2021 James filed a complaint with a committee in the state court system that is tasked with disciplining attorneys found to have violated codes of professional conduct.
The Commission can dismiss a complaint because of insufficient evidence, move on to investigating the allegations, or even initiate disciplinary proceedings. Disciplinary actions may range from a confidential or public letter of recommendation to criticism, disqualification, or suspension of law practice.
The Complaint form 48 pages long marks Mr. Cuomo’s latest attempt in an unrelenting effort to salvage his reputation and lash out at attackers after he resigned in disgrace amid numerous scandals and the threat of impeachment next year. last.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Cuomo emailed the Daily News opinion articles to his supporters who have questioned some of the claims made against him and suggested that he may be a victim of the #MeToo movement’s excessive enthusiasm.
And at the beginning of August, I victory in a court battle when a judge ruled that Mr. Cuomo would not have to transfer proceeds from a $5.1 million book deal that a state ethics board is seeking to recover.
Mr. Cuomo spent millions of dollars earlier this year on television commercials seeking to restore his image. He briefly re-emerged from the political wilderness when he spoke at several Black churches, sparking short-term speculation that he would try to return to politics this year, though he has since kept a relatively low profile.
Complaint filed on Tuesday is issued much controversy and grievance that Mr. Cuomo had previously spoken out about the investigation, including that he argued that the final report was misleading and inaccurate, ignored evidence in his favor, and was used for political purposes. ruled by Mrs. James, who briefly ran for governor after Mr. Cuomo resigned.
“AG James manipulated a legal process for personal, political gain,” according to a complaint signed by Mr. Cuomo. The lawsuit alleges Ms. James disclosed the report at a press conference as “biased and highly inciting, while embarrassing me in the eyes of the public, and misleading the public and the press.” even that I sexually harassed 11 women, which is simply not true.”
The complaint argues that Ms. James, as well as Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark, outside attorneys conducting the investigation, violated several codes of professional conduct, including a prohibition. attorneys engaged in “acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deception or misrepresentation. “
“I believe those 11 women,” Ms. James said on “The View” last year shortly after suspending her candidacy for governor, emphasizing, as she has done before, that it was Mr. for her office to oversee the investigation. “I will not allow anyone to sabotage the investigation of those two independent attorneys and my office or me personally and the report speaks for itself.”
Members of attorney complaint committee appointed by the court and tasked with resolving and investigating claims of professional misconduct filed with attorneys in New York. They conduct their business in private, an opaque process that can often be slow and difficult for the public to follow.
Last year, the committee Temporarily suspended Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who served as a longtime attorney for President Trump, as it looks into disciplinary charges for his role in misleading the public about the outcome election results 2020.
The six-month investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo has detailed multiple instances in which women allege Mr Cuomo engaged in a range of inappropriate acts including touching unwanted and an unsolicited kiss, as well as a case where he groping the breasts of a former assistant. Mr. Cuomo has apologized for making any woman uncomfortable, but he has vehemently denied ever touching anyone inappropriately, while his lawyers have sought to do so. undermine the authenticity of the women’s accounts.
Five district attorneys opened investigations into Mr. Cuomo following the attorney general’s report, but all five conclusions that there was not enough legal basis to charge Mr. Cuomo, although some insisted that they found the women trustworthy.
