Albany DA has ongoing criminal investigation into Cuomo

The Albany county district attorney announced Tuesday that his office is carrying out an ongoing criminal investigation into New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

Albany County District Attorney David Soares (D) asked the New York Attorney General’s office to share materials related to its investigation that found the governor had sexually harassed several women and violated state and federal laws.  

In a statement shared on Twitter, Soares said that in light of the final report from New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office in relation to violations of civil harassment laws, his office “will be formally requesting investigative materials obtained by the AG’s Office.”

Soares went on to say that his office would “welcome any victim to contact our office with additional information.” 

“As this matter is developing and we are reviewing the document released by the Attorney General today, we will refrain from any additional public comment at this time regarding the status of the ongoing criminal investigation by our office,” he added. 

Comment from Albany County District Attorney David Soares Regarding NYS Attorney General Final Report on Governor Cuomo ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/aSVBNzhebf

— Albany County District Attorney’s Office (@AlbanyCountyDA) August 3, 2021

The long-awaited final report from James’s months-long investigation found that Cuomo had harassed at least 11 different women, including some who worked in his office, and that the governor and his aides retaliated against a former employee who came forward with allegations.

James said Tuesday that the investigation, conducted by attorneys Anne Clark and Joon Kim, included interviews with 179 people, including the complainants and current and former members of the executive chamber, as well as  74,000 pieces of evidence including emails, texts and pictures. 

“Specifically, the investigation found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed current and former New York state employees by engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women,” James said at a press conference. 

While James’s office did not announce any charges against Cuomo, she said that the women who came forward with allegations have the grounds to file civil lawsuits against the governor, adding that local police departments should also work to probe specific allegations. 

Just hours later, Cuomo issued a 15-minute video address disputing the report’s content and refusing to resign, arguing, “The facts are much different than what has been portrayed.” 

Despite his defiance, James’s report has reignited bipartisan calls for Cuomo’s resignation, with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) arguing that his state’s governor is “not fit to hold office.” 

“He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,” he said in a statement.

Cuomo is facing an impeachment investigation in the New York state assembly, focused on the sexual harassment allegations and the accusations related to his administration’s handling of data on coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.