New York attorney general expanding Cuomo investigation: report

Officials with New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James’s (D) office have expanded a probe into sexual misconduct allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Several people familiar with the investigation told the newspaper that the AG’s office has interviewed at least three people who were contacted after the initial allegations against Cuomo were reported publicly. The three people said a former top adviser tasked with overseeing the state’s vaccination program had contacted them to gauge loyalty to the governor. 

Both the governor’s office and AG’s office declined to comment officially on the report, according to the Journal. The governor has faced mounting pressure to resign from Democratic lawmakers in the Democratic-led state but has remained defiant and pledged to remain in his post while James’s investigation continues.

Cuomo has denied the sexual misconduct allegations but has admitted that some of his comments may have made some women uncomfortable.

The aide at the center of the latest news concerning the investigation, Larry Schwartz, resigned last week after a change to state lobbying rules went into effect that would have barred him from serving as a lobbyist on matters surrounding the governor’s office had he remained the state’s vaccination program chief.

Schwartz has denied that any conversations he had with state officials regarding the allegations against Cuomo were linked to vaccine allocations, according to the Journal.

The governor’s office has seen a wave of resignations totaling at least nine former staff members since the allegations emerged, with the latest occurring last week.