New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has questioned the credibility of the lawyers leading the probe by state Attorney General Letitia James into several allegations made against the governor, Politico reported on Monday.
“I have concerns as to the independence of the reviewers,” Cuomo said at a press conference on Monday. “Is this all happening in a political system? Yes, that is undeniable.”
He said people should “look at who the independent investigators are,” referring to the outside attorneys James hired for the investigation. “Do a little history, go to Google ... and tell me what you see.”
The remarks were Cuomo's most direct comments about the trustworthiness of the upcoming report from James, as other similar statements have come from his staff, according to Politico.
James chose Joon Kim and Anne Clark to carry out the investigation, which includes allegations of sexual harassment made against Cuomo earlier this year.
Kim was a federal prosecutor during which time he led the case against top Cuomo aide Joe Percoco, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2018 and sentenced to six years in prison.
He also took part in the probe over Cuomo's closing of the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption in 2014, which did not result in any charges.
“I believe in New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “They know what these reviews entail, and who's involved, and when they get the facts. I am very confident that they will be shocked at what they have heard about this versus what they know about it. And I'm confident that when they get the facts, they’re going to understand exactly what happened.”
Assembly Judiciary Chair Charles Lavine, who is heading the state assembly’s impeachment probe of Cuomo, warned the governor’s administration last week over its efforts to diminish the probe, saying. that “attempts to demean the Attorney General serve ... to undermine the investigation and send profoundly negative signals to witnesses.”