ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — State Lawyer Basic Letitia James has launched a large quantity of recent details about her investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations in opposition to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Along with the transcripts of former aides, she made public video statements of the governor, his high aide, Melissa DeRosa, and most of the girls concerned within the case, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported Monday.
READ MORE: Assembly Probe Finds ‘Overwhelming Evidence’ Of Sexual Harassment By Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Net Further: Click here to read transcripts
The huge data dump contains new details about the big roll performed by the governor’s brother in devising a method to cope with the allegations, plus scorching new particulars provided by considered one of of Cuomo’s chief accusers, Brittany Commisso.
She provided new particulars a few governor on the prowl.
“He undoubtedly was making it recognized that he was single and able to mingle,” Commisso stated.
Of all the ladies charging the previous governor with sexual harassment, Commisso’s allegations are essentially the most damaging. She filed a prison grievance with the Albany County Sheriff, claiming he put his hand beneath her shirt and groped her on the Government Mansion.
However now we’ve discovered he additionally needed her to seek out him dates, and the 63-year-old was looking for a dream date a lot youthful than himself.
“He stated it could undoubtedly need to be perhaps late 30s, early 40s, that, you realize, going youthful that he wasn’t certain how that will look to most people. It might undoubtedly need to be somebody who understood his way of life and the road of labor that he was in,” Commisso stated.
Though Cuomo denied the groping allegations within the written testimony beforehand launched, we at the moment are capable of see video of his denial.
“That by no means occurred. Let’s simply, you realize, at one level there must be just a little actuality. To the touch a lady’s breast and make myself susceptible to a lady for such an accusation, it could be an act of madness. Are you able to ever hear me saying, any individual says to me, ‘You’re going to get us into bother … I don’t care.’” Cuomo stated.
However there could also be some, nicely, cracks in his testimony. DeRosa, considered one of Cuomo’s high aides and considered one of his chief defenders, stated that whereas Cuomo advised her he didn’t grope Commisso, “He didn’t deny that he hugged her.”
DeRosa, who was at all times at Cuomo’s facet throughout his much-publicized COVID-19 pandemic press conferences, was additionally requested concerning the position performed by the previous governor’s brother, Chris Cuomo. The CNN anchor has denied giving his brother recommendation concerning the sexual harassment allegations.
“I talked to Chris fairly repeatedly. He was on some calls that we did and he suggested us on how you can reply,” DeRosa stated.
DeRosa stated Chris Cuomo’s recommendation modified over time.
“Early on, he thought that we’d by no means persuade the general public … we wouldn’t win the struggle within the public or the press, and so don’t attempt. … He was saying take a chunk of this, personal it, and transfer previous it.”
However as the costs mounted, “When there was a giant push for us to resign, he was ardently against that,” DeRosa stated.
READ MORE: TIMELINE: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Resigns In Wake Of Sexual Harassment, Nursing Home Scandals
Cuomo spokesman Wealthy Azzopardi launched the next assertion on Monday’s data launch.
“To the shock of nobody, Tish James continues abusing her authorities energy to leverage her political future — prosecutorial misconduct, ethics and integrity be damned. James violated the legislation in appointing biased reviewers after which she admitted personally interfering within the investigation.
“In the present day’s manipulated launch of hand picked witness testimony with selective redactions is typical. She even edited the Governor’s video testimony! It’s also no coincidence that she determined to launch choose transcripts minutes earlier than considered one of her rivals declared for governor.
“New Yorkers are nobody’s idiot and James and her colleagues’ apparent misuse of presidency sources to break political opponents is as apparent and repugnant as it’s unethical and unlawful.”
Though DeRosa was and continues to be one of many former governor’s staunchest defenders, she broke down numerous instances.
Watch: Marcia Kramer’s 6 p.m. Report On The Cuomo Investigation
“I used to be scared and I used to be upset and I used to be simply, like, very traumatized by the state of affairs,” DeRosa stated.
The governor’s second in command had at all times been the robust one by all of the months of beautiful allegations, however she misplaced it when probers for the legal professional common requested her about nursing home deaths and stories the Cuomo administration had not been completely truthful about how many individuals died.
“It was an excessive amount of for me. I actually shut down and I couldn’t be part of it, the place I requested everyone else to take the wheel,” DeRosa stated.
In truth, DeRosa admitted she usually relied on Cuomo giving her a hand in instances of stress. Sure, he acquired touchy-feely along with her in instances of pleasure and in instances of sorrow.
“When the nursing house stuff occurred, he held my hand, like in moments of traumatic issues, or, like, you realize, the night time of the election I keep in mind, it was like, ‘We did it,’ and we had been holding palms,” DeRosa stated.
DeRosa denied repeated rumors that she and her boss had a romantic attachment, although there have been quite a few rumors on the contrary. She was questioned about it by one of many governor’s aides.
“He had heard that … was telling those who she walked into the workplace and that the governor was on high of me, kissing me, to which I expressed outrage, and so then it kind of turned a fish story. Each time somebody advised the story, it acquired worse,” DeRosa stated.
Denying Cuomo’s romantic liaisons, or, extra precisely, allegations of sexual harassment turned par for the course for DeRosa.
One of the startling had been the costs he inappropriately touched a feminine state trooper assigned to his element.
In Cuomo’s videotaped testimony, he denies it.
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In a shocking admission, DeRosa advised investigators for the legal professional common that she truly spoke to James on the day the governor signed an govt order that allowed her to nominate a particular prosecutor. DeRosa claims James reassured her that, “All the pieces goes to be high-quality.”
