Focus on reform in Cuomo probe

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is right to release a report about what the Judiciary Committee learned during impeachment proceedings against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. There's still more for the Assembly to do — but the purpose makes a difference. It must be fact-based with an eye toward reforms, rather than prosecutorial.

Last week, Heastie said the impeachment process couldn't continue because there was no legal justification in the state constitution once Cuomo announced he would resign. But he was unclear about the next steps, and after being pelted by loud objections from members to his left and right, Heastie promised a conclusion. Taxpayers should have some details on why the chamber spent close to $2 million.

But how should that final report take shape? This shouldn't be a revenge campaign by Cuomo's political enemies in the Assembly. Just as the chamber proceeded without a clear map before Cuomo's departure announcement, it must pave a procedural path for its new mission. The focus should be on what new laws, regulations and ethics rules are needed, if any, to address key concerns about gubernatorial powers and legislative oversight.

Materials gathered by the Assembly's outside counsel could raise privacy concerns for Cuomo's accusers, rendering a wholesale release tricky. There is also the issue of fairness, such as allowing rebuttal or responses from Cuomo's staff to claims of misbehavior. New legislative testimony might be in order, in public or behind closed doors. Whatever the method, the facts of what unfolded so quickly and controversially, and why, must be established.

Do the state's sex harassment rules usually work? Should the vague constitutional prescription for impeachment be reformed? What does it mean for public resources to be used for private purposes, as in Cuomo's book project aided by public staff? Did he tell the truth when he said he'd been trying to diversify his security detail, to explain why he recruited a certain female officer for the team?

Beyond the administration's fudging of COVID-19 numbers in nursing homes, we don't have a reliable official account of why and how the pandemic battlefield decision was made to move patients from hospitals to nursing homes. Was this a valid idea? A flawed tactic? What happens next time?

Regarding claims of Cuomo improperly touching women on his staff, prosecutorial decisions should be left to county district attorney's offices. State Attorney General Letitia James is still probing Cuomo's $5 million book deal.

Heastie and Judiciary Committee chairman Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) appropriately promised referrals to investigators. The Assembly and Senate must also in honest hindsight critique or defend their own decision to grant the governor extensive emergency powers during the pandemic.

Legislative oversight often falls short in this age of party polarization. Carried out credibly, it won't be a distraction. Quite the opposite. Getting real answers is part of their collective job, and it is rarely done well.