Cuomo lawyers accuse AG James of omitting, ignoring evidence

ALBANY — Lawyers for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his executive staff reiterated claims Friday accusing Attorney General Letitia James of omitting or ignoring evidence that would discredit her recent finding that he had sexually harassed 11 women.

The lawyers complained that neither they nor the governor got a copy of James’ report in advance of its release Tuesday, which would have given them a chance to respond to the conclusion.

They said the attorney general’s investigators wanted a predetermined outcome and were biased against Cuomo.

A James spokesman said that the investigators' conclusions were backed by a "mountain of evidence" and that Cuomo was trying to undermine the women who came forward.

Cuomo's lawyers didn’t respond to sworn allegations by a female state trooper, assigned to Cuomo’s security detail, that he touched her inappropriately multiple times. They said Cuomo would address the accusations separately soon.

And they contended the governor never groped a woman known in the James report as "executive assistant 1," as alleged, saying the governor "doesn’t really know" her.

The rebuttal by the governor’s lawyers came hours after the Albany County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the executive assistant has filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo. It was the first known instance in which a woman in the James report made an official complaint with a law-enforcement agency.

Rita Glavin, Cuomo’s personal lawyer in the matter, repeated claims made earlier this week which she said cast doubt about the day one of the alleged incidents happened with the executive assistant.

Glavin said schedules, photos and visitors’ logs show the woman wasn’t at the mansion last Nov. 16.

But, in fact, James’ report clearly says the woman told investigators the groping incident occurred around — but not exactly on — that date.

Regarding James’ finding that the governor waived service requirements to get the female state trooper assigned to his personal detail, Glavin said it wasn’t true. He wanted to diversify the detail and was impressed by her at an event, she said.

Asked what impressed the governor, Glavin said: "He liked how she maintained eye contact and how she was assertive with him."

The lawyers said the attorney general’s investigators never sought this basic data and that most interviews weren’t recorded or transcribed, although Cuomo and his staffers had lawyers present during the questioning.

"It was one-sided … and he was ambushed," Glavin said of Cuomo.

Fabien Levy, a James aide, said transcripts of the interviews with witnesses will be made available to a state Assembly impeachment committee.

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

Lawmakers who have called the report overwhelming and urged Cuomo’s resignation said the governor’s lawyers’ news conference focused on blaming the women and skirted central details in the James report.

"Instead they tried to: 1) cast doubt on weak hypotheticals that aren’t in the report," Sen. James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) said on Twitter. "2) Continue their baseless attacks on the attorney general."

"I don’t think Long Islanders are buying it," Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach), a former federal prosecutor, said. "The evidence is too overwhelming and the trying to impugn the attorney general’s integrity reeks of desperation."