Cuomo to be questioned in sexual harassment investigation
Associated PressALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. “We have said repeatedly that the governor doesn’t want to comment on this review until he has cooperated, but the continued leaks are more evidence of the transparent political motivation of the attorney general’s review,” Cuomo senior advisor Richard Azzopardi said. In April, Azzopardi blasted James for confirming her office was also investigating whether Cuomo broke the law by having staff help write and promote his recent memoir, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic.” “Both the comptroller and the attorney general have spoken to people about running for governor and it is unethical to wield criminal referral authority to further political self-interest,” Azzopardi said at the time. “Now she’s proven over and over again that she’s responsible to the people of the state of New York.” Manhattan Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, Democrat and Assembly health committee chair, agreed: “Tish James is not going to let anyone undermine her.” Sen. John Liu, majority assistant whip, called Azzopardi’s statement the “typical Cuomo playbook.” “Obviously, Cuomo’s trying to undermine the AG,” Liu said. “Those kinds of comments, trying to run interference, trying to deflect, trying to implicate, at least politically — my read of it is that folks in the governor’s circle including the governor are at least nervous and at most running terrified,” said Liu, a Queens Democrat who, like Gottfried and Rivera, has called on Cuomo to resign.