New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) reportedly sat down for an 11-hour interview as part of state Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against him from several female aides.
As The New York Times reported on Monday, the interview was conducted on July 17, with participants prohibited from discussing it in public. However, five people who were briefed on the interview spoke to the Times.
The interview apparently took place in a conference room at Cuomo’s Midtown Manhattan office.
Former prosecutor Joon Kim and employment lawyer Anne Clark, who have been charged with leading the investigation by James, conducted the interview, with Cuomo reportedly becoming confrontational at certain points.
Cuomo reportedly questioned Kim’s independence in the investigation due to his past probes into the governor and his allies, the Times reports.
“This investigation started at the request of the governor after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment,” state attorney general spokeswoman Delaney Kempner told the Times.
“It is being carried out by independent investigators who have decades of experience. The continued attempts to undermine and politicize this process are dishonest and take away from the courage and bravery displayed by these women,” Kempner said.
In February, former aide Lindsey Boylan accused Cuomo of kissing her without her consent and making inappropriate remarks while in the workplace. After Boyland came forward, approximately 10 more women similarly accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, with one saying the governor invited her to his home and groped her.
Soon after the allegations were made public, Cuomo issued an apology, acknowledging that some of his interactions with female aides “may have been insensitive or too personal,” but denied inappropriately touching anybody. He asked James to pick an independent attorney to conduct an investigation into the allegations.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” Cuomo said at the time.