Heastie: AG James probe alone not enough to impeach Cuomo; accuser’s lawyer calls comments ‘outrageous’
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) suggested Friday that he will not try to impeach Gov. Cuomo solely based on whatever findings emerge from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ sexual harassment probe — prompting swift backlash from a lawyer representing one of the governor’s accusers.
Debra Katz, who represents former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett, said Heastie’s hesitation over James’ investigation is “alarming and outrageous” and suggested it indicates that the powerful speaker plans to protect the governor.
“Speaker Heastie has made clear that he will actively obstruct efforts to hold Governor Cuomo responsible even if, as we expect will be the case, the Attorney General’s investigators substantiate the multiple allegations of sexual harassment levied against the Governor by Ms. Bennett and the other complainants,” Katz said. “Speaker Heastie’s statement is a betrayal of the duties of his office and demonstrates that his loyalty is to Governor Cuomo, and not to either the rule of law or to the women who have been victimized by the Governor.”
Earlier in the day, Heastie told reporters during an unrelated event in upstate New York that he respects James and that he believes her forthcoming report “should be a part” of the Assembly Judiciary Committee’s slow-moving impeachment investigation into the governor.
“But I don’t know if the report itself, alone, without the conclusion of the judiciary committee’s work, should rise to an action,” said Heastie who, as speaker, holds large sway over potential impeachment proceedings against Cuomo.
The Assembly’s impeachment probe is exploring allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed Bennett and more than a half dozen other women. The most serious charge is that Cuomo forcefully groped an as-of-yet unidentified aide at the Executive Mansion in Albany after calling her over on a weekend to help him set up a new phone.
The governor vehemently denies any wrongdoing and has rejected calls from fellow Democrats for him to resign.
James is investigating the same allegations as the Assembly and plans to present the findings of her office in a report that could come out as early as next month.
Unlike many of his fellow high-profile Democrats in New York, Heastie has not outright called for Cuomo to step down. He has instead echoed the governor’s plea to let the investigations play out.
Meantime, Cuomo’s allies, including his senior adviser Rich Azzopardi, claim the attorney general’s probe into sexual harassment allegations is politically motivated by her desire to challenge the governor in the Democratic primary next year.
