ALBANY, N.Y. (AP - Modified) — New York’s attorney general has released hundreds of pages of transcripts of interviews conducted during an investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The transcripts released Wednesday included Cuomo’s interview with the independent investigators hired by Attorney General Letitia James. Cuomo told investigators he denied many of the allegations, said he was careful in how he behaved around women and said several of his accusers had misrepresented what happened.
During his lengthy interrogation by investigators on July 17, Cuomo bristled at a groping allegation by an aide, Brittany Commisso, who said the Democrat had groped her breast in the governor’s mansion.
You can view the transcripts and exhibits that have been released here. There will be additional transcripts and exhibits released as they become available.
Finally — after three months for stalling — Tish James has been forced to release transcripts as more and more people are questioning her shoddy and politically motivated report. However, these transcripts include questionable redactions, and raise even more questions about key omissions made during this slanted process, which reeks of prosecutorial misconduct. This was clearly done to change the subject, but the attorney general needs to answer the following questions.”
In the Governor’s testimony he said directly to Joon Kim that Ibrahim Khan — the AG’s chief of staff— had been coordinating with Trip Yang and Lindsey Boylan‘s campaign and that it suggested collusion between James and Boylan. Other than to hide this obvious conflict of interest, why was this information redacted?
In the Boylan testimony, why didn’t they ask her about the fact that Liz Fine, current counsel to the governor, requested Boylan‘s termination for abusing staff?
Why didn’t they question Boylan about her texts to executive chamber staff specifically saying she would retaliate against the governor because “life is long and so is my memory and so are my resources” and “the future is coming after (expletive.)”
Brittany Commisso testified that the governor became more reserved after Boylan started tweeting attacks against him. Did James tell Sheriff Apple that the new date of her allegation, December 7, was after Boylan started tweeting and therefore inconsistent with Commisso’s testimony?
James said that she spoke to politicians in Albany for her investigation. Who are those politicians that James spoke to to inform her investigation and where are their transcripts?
James’ press release now says it was an “independent investigation." However, just four weeks ago James said that she personally conducted the investigation. Was she lying then or is she lying now?
Why didn’t investigators ask Charlotte Bennett about her activity at Hamilton College and her filing a false allegation?
Why did they omit the circumstances that caused the governor to talk to Bennett and provided the motivation for their conversation?
Why is James suddenly releasing the transcripts now after she said she had sent them to several district attorneys who are doing investigations?
Are the other district attorneys besides Albany not doing investigations?
The more we know about this investigation the more we know what a fraud it was.
