Lawyer for Cuomo accuser warns NY attorney general of ‘interference’ by governor's office

ALBANY, N.Y. — A lawyer for one of several women accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment is again pushing back on the administration’s internal probe, warning Attorney General James’ office of “interference.”

In a letter sent Monday to James’ office, attorney Debra Katz, who is representing former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett, outlined her concerns about reports that the Executive Chamber is providing “in-house attorneys” to staff members before they are questioned by James’ investigators about the governor’s behavior.

“It is my understanding that these attorneys are also ‘debriefing’ staffers after their interviews with investigators,” Katz wrote. “This is highly improper and we object in the strongest possible terms to this obvious interference with what you have stated would be a ‘thorough and independent’ investigation.”

James is overseeing an outside probe into Cuomo’s conduct and the allegations of more than eight women, mostly staffers and former aides, who say the governor oversaw a dysfunctional, toxic workplace, harassed them or made unwanted sexual advances toward them.

Bennett, 25, alleges that Cuomo repeatedly asked her probing personal questions about her dating life and whether she was interested in older men. She believes the governor, whose alleged advances came as New York was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., was trying to sleep with her.

Last week, the Albany Times Union first reported that the administration is conducting its own internal probe after a current staffer came forward with claims that Cuomo groped her last year.

Katz urged James to issue a directive to order the governor’s office “to cease this highly improper practice.”

In her letter, Katz wrote that the internal attorneys “will have a chilling effect on potential witnesses or other accusers” who “fear job-related retaliation if they tell the investigators about the Governor’s sexual harassing behavior and misconduct of those around him.”

She says she has already spoken to witnesses who fear payback if they refuse to cooperate with Cuomo’s in-house attorneys and are fearful of sharing information with James’ investigator if they are accompanied to interviews.

“We believe this offer of counsel constitutes a deliberate attempt by the Governor to interfere with your office’s investigation,” Katz wrote.

The Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.