Cuomo's lawyers says he was 'ambushed' by 'biased' AG report

Andrew Cuomo’s attorneys attempted to clear his name on Friday, claiming he was ‘ambushed’ by the Attorney General’s ‘biased’ sexual harassment report and that they’re still waiting for all the evidence that it contained.  

Attorneys Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi – who represent the Office of the New York Governor – and Rita Glavin, who represents Cuomo personally, spoke at a press conference which the Governor live streamed on his state website but didn’t appear at. 

He remains in the Governor’s mansion in Albany and has not been seen since Monday. 

The attorneys were temporarily interrupted by technical difficulties but resumed their speeches at around 4pm and went on to undermine the credibility of the accusers, like Lindsey Boylan, who they say asked for her job back four days after she said she quit because she was sick of being harassed.  

Glavin attempted to chip away at Boylan’s credibility and that of ‘Executive Assistant #1’, who says the Governor groped her breast in the mansion in 2020. She also contested the allegation that Cuomo hired a state trooper to his private detail because he found her attractive, saying instead that he recruited her because she ‘maintained eye contact’ with him at a party and he liked it. 

A spokesman for the Attorney General on Friday evening angrily hit back at Cuomo’s attorney’s attempts to discredit the 11 women. 

Fabien Levy, press secretary and senior advisor to Letitia James, said: ‘After multiple women made accusations that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed them, the governor, himself, requested that Attorney General James oversee an independent investigation. 

‘The independent investigators selected are widely respected professionals, recognized for their legal and investigatory ability. To attack this investigation and attempt to undermine and politicize this process takes away from the bravery displayed by these women.

‘There will be a rolling production of interview transcripts made available to the state Assembly, which will be redacted as needed.

‘There are 11 women whose accounts have been corroborated by a mountain of evidence. Any suggestion that attempts to undermine the credibility of these women or this investigation is unfortunate.’ 

Governor Cuomo is pictured in the grounds of the Albany Governor's Mansion on Friday. He has not been seen publicly since Monday. The report came out on Tuesday and Cuomo's attorneys say he was 'blindsided' by it

Governor Cuomo is pictured in the grounds of the Albany Governor’s Mansion on Friday. He has not been seen publicly since Monday. The report came out on Tuesday and Cuomo’s attorneys say he was ‘blindsided’ by it 

Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, is seen on Friday arriving at the Governor's Mansion, to visit her father

Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, 23, is seen on Friday arriving at the Governor’s Mansion, to visit her father

Glavin said the Governor would be speaking publicly about the state trooper’s claims ‘soon’ but wouldn’t say when. His attorney didn’t know whether or not she was still on his protective detail.

He has not been seen in public since Monday night, although on Thursday he was spotted by the pool, and on Friday seen walking in the grounds. 

The youngest of Cuomo’s three daughters, Michaela, 23, was seen on Friday arriving at the property.  

They said they plan to give responses to the Assembly Judiciary Committee that will oversee a potential impeachment proceeding by August 13.  

‘The governor needs to be treated fairly. He is 63 years old. He has spent 40 years in public service… to be accused of the sexual assault of an executive assistant who he doesn’t really know, doesn’t pass muster. 

‘There has been no open minded fact-finding….the investigators acted as prosecutors, judge and jury. This was one sided and he was ambushed,’ Glavin said.  

The Albany Governor's Mansion, where Cuomo has remained in hiding since Tuesday. He released a pre-taped video statement but has not stepped foot outside

The Albany Governor’s Mansion, where Cuomo has remained in hiding since Tuesday. He released a pre-taped video statement but has not stepped foot outside 

Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin gave slides of some of the mistakes she says are contained in the report which back up the Governor. Cuomo didn't appear at the press conference. His attorneys say he was ambushed and is not being treated fairly

Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin gave slides of some of the mistakes she says are contained in the report which back up the Governor. Cuomo didn’t appear at the press conference. His attorneys say he was ambushed and is not being treated fairly

Cuomo has not been seen since Monday. On Tuesday, he released a pre-taped response to the report (above)

Cuomo has not been seen since Monday. On Tuesday, he released a pre-taped response to the report (above) 

The attorneys also claimed the AG’s team, or at least some of them, were in cahoots with Boylan’s associates when she was running for Manhattan Borough President, and that they were focused on taking the Governor down. 

Fishman said the entire Executive Chamber was blindsided by the report and only received it when Letitia James made it public on Tuesday morning. 

Within hours of it being made public, Cuomo released a pre-recorded, 15 minute statement. 

Glavin also released an 85-page rebuttal to the allegations. 

On Friday, his attorneys said they’d still not received all of the evidence that went into the report despite asking for it, including interview transcripts of witnesses. 

One allegation that they picked out was that of Executive Assistant One, who alleges he groped her breast. 

Cuomo’s attorneys say it’s not true and that official logs from the day in question don’t support the executive assistant’s allegation. 

They also say she was lying about details like a door ‘slamming’ because it would have created an ‘echo’ that other staffers would have heard but didn’t. 

They also said that Boylan asked for her job back in September 2018 and that should prove she is lying. 

THE ‘LIES’ CUOMO’S ATTORNEYS SAY ARE IN REPORT

Rita Glavin, attorney for the Governor and one of three to speak at Friday’s press conference, accused state investigators of conducting an unfair investigation into the claims.

‘The governor deserves to be treated fairly and he must be. That did not happen here. This was one-sided. And he was ambushed,’ she said.

Glavin said investigators with the New York Attorney General’s office failed to conduct an ‘open-minded’ inquiry and accused them of acting ‘as prosecutors, judge and jury.’ 

She also outline what she said were issues with the accounts of two of the 11 women. 

Lindsey Boylan asked for her job back after quitting over sexual harassment 

On Friday, the attorneys said that Lindsey Boylan asked for her job back four days after quitting in September 2018 after being allegedly sexually harassed, and that should prove she is lying

They also said that she was driven not by honesty but by political ambition and that some of her associates had teamed up with Letitia James

 

Executive Assistant #1 says she was groped in the mansion in November 2020 

‘This woman’s story as stated in the report is false,’ Glavin said. 

Executive Assistant #1 said a door slammed but no one heard it – and official logs don’t match her story, the attorneys claimed. 

The attorneys say official logs from that day account for the Governor’s movements, that he had no time to haul her into his office and that she wasn’t there for long enough.  

They also said that she lied about a door slamming because the building is old, it would have created an echo and no one heard it.  

‘Did you know that Lindsey Boylan asked for her job back four days after she quit?

‘And that she then asked the Governor to intervene? Emailed his assistant and asked to speak with him but he didn’t return her call. 

‘Why didn’t the investigators put this in their report?’ Glavin said.

Of the State Trooper – who says Cuomo ran his finger down her back, touched her belly and harassed her after recruiting her to his private detail even though she wasn’t qualified, the lawyers said he would respond to her allegations soon. 

But Glavin rejected the notion he hired her because he found her attractive and instead said he was ‘impressed’ when he met her at a party that she ‘maintained eye contact with him’ and ‘was assertive’. 

Glavin at first claimed the trooper was still on Cuomo’s detail then, when corrected by a reporter who said she knew that she wasn’t, admitted that she didn’t know. 

‘That’s new news you’re telling me,’ she said.

She insisted that no one was going to retaliate against the accusers now because ‘the world is watching.’  

Cuomo remains in the Albany Governor’s mansion, consulting his attorneys as he faces mounting calls to resign, three criminal investigations, at least one lawsuit and looming impeachment.  

He is now being investigated by three different prosecutor’s offices in Albany, Manhattan and Westchester, and has been sued by at least one of the accusers.

The New York State Assembly committee that had been investigating whether to launch impeachment proceedings against him for alleged abuses of power in the pandemic is now nearing the end of its investigation, after also considering the AG’s report. 

There are 150 members in the State Assembly and so far, 86 have indicated they would vote to impeach Cuomo unless he resigns first. 

The AG report upholds the allegations of 11 women who say the governor sexually harassed them. 

He denies their claims and in an 85-page rebuttal, his lawyers say that the women misinterpreted his warmth for impropriety or completely lied. 

In her 85-page response, Cuomo’s attorney Rita Glavin said the report by Attorney General Letitia James omits evidence and skews facts. 

Fishman said on Friday that they were still being ignored by the Attorney General’s office in their requests for all of the materials in the investigation. 

‘This is not like an ordinary civil or criminal proceeding. Their report will not be followed by a civil hearing trial to determine the accuracy of their conclusions. 

‘For the people in the chamber this was the end of the line. Everyone in the chamber got it at exactly the same time as those of you in the press did,’ Fishman said. 

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay issued a scathing response following the press conference.

‘The governor has now sent out his attorneys to publicly discredit his accusers and undermine the attorney general’s investigators,’ said Barclay, a Republican. 

‘This would be shocking anywhere else, but it’s the unfortunate standard-operating-procedure for the Cuomo administration. 

‘The governor is in complete free-fall. Today’s desperate attempt to offer more explanations and excuses won’t change any minds, nor will it change the course that ends with his removal from office.’ 

The three attorneys - Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi - who represent the Office of the Governor - and Rita Glavin - who represents Cuomo personally - spoke at a press conference which the Governor live streamed on his state website but didn't appear at

The three attorneys – Paul Fishman, Mitra Hormozi – who represent the Office of the Governor – and Rita Glavin – who represents Cuomo personally – spoke at a press conference which the Governor live streamed on his state website but didn’t appear at

The press conference was interrupted before it properly got underway when one of the attorney's Zoom feeds froze. She returned and said: 'Sorry, our ethernet went out'.

The press conference was interrupted before it properly got underway when one of the attorney’s Zoom feeds froze. She returned and said: ‘Sorry, our ethernet went out’. 

source: dailymail.co.uk