Cuomo Harassed Multiple Women And Violated Handful Of Federal And State Laws

The New York State Attorney General has released findings from a probe into sexual harassment allegations lodged against Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Independent Investigators with the AG's office released a statement Tuesday making claims that Governor Cuomo not only sexually harassed several women, he also engaged in several retaliatory acts toward accusers. The Attorney General's office says the sexual harassment was directed toward both current and former New York State employees.

Attorney General Letitia James says,

This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law. I am grateful to all the women who came forward to tell their stories in painstaking detail, enabling investigators to get to the truth. No man — no matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women or violate our human rights laws, period.

The AG's office in a statement says Governor Cuomo engaged in unwanted groping, kissing and hugging. James' office also claims Governor Cuomo multiple times made inappropriate comments and his actions created a "toxic" work environment in the Executive Chamber.

The first accusations began in December 2020 and multiple women came forward with their claims. It was those allegations that spurred the investigation by the Attorney General's office. The AG's office says they interviewed 179 individuals, including the Governor himself. James' investigators also reviewed over 74,000 documents, emails, texts, and pictures. The AG's office says,

The investigation found that Governor Cuomo’s sexual harassment of multiple women and his and the Executive Chamber’s retaliation against a former employee for coming forward with her claims of sexual harassment violated multiple state and federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, and 42 U.S. Code § 1983, in addition to the Executive Chamber’s own equal employment policies.

You can read the Attorney General's full report here: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2021.08.03_nyag_-_investigative_report.pdf.