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A judge on Friday dismissed the only criminal charge filed against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in connection with the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office.The move was expected after Albany County prosecutors said they couldn't prove the case and wanted to drop it, and Cuomo's lawyers asked the court to agree.Cuomo, who denied the allegation, didn’t speak during Friday's virtual hearing, which lasted just a few minutes. Wearing a black mask, he was briefly visible on the videoconference as a defense attorney moved her camera slightly to show him in the room.“We have reviewed all of the available evidence and concluded we cannot successfully secure a conviction in this case,” assistant district attorney Jennifer McCanney said.Judge Holly Trexler said she was "acutely aware of the fact that the district attorney’s office has unfettered discretion to determine whether to prosecute a particular person or case.”The dismissal of the charge, which accused Cuomo of groping an aide in the executive mansion in 2020, removes what had been seen as the most serious legal threat to the former governor. He said he never touched anyone inappropriately.He could still face lawsuits over his conduct if his accusers choose to take him to court.The misdemeanor complaint was filed by the local sheriff in October, two months after Cuomo resigned from office.Albany County District Attorney David Soares told Trexler this week that although the aide was credible, and some evidence supported her account, he believed he couldn’t win a conviction in court.The charges against Cuomo were based on allegations by Brittany Commisso, who said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast when they were alone in an office at the mansion.Her testimony was among the most damning in a report released in August by Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James that concluded Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.Cuomo resigned that month. He has called the report unfair and has vehemently denied the groping allegation.Soares has said he was caught by surprise when Sheriff Craig Apple, a fellow Democrat, filed the forcible touching complaint without consulting the prosecutor’s office. Soares called it “potentially defective” and moved to delay Cuomo’s arraignment, originally set for November.In a letter to Trexler on Tuesday, Soares said “statutory elements of New York law make this case impossible to prove.” He added that multiple government inquiries into Cuomo’s conduct had created “technical and procedural hurdles” regarding prosecutors’ obligations to disclose evidence to the defense.Some legal experts said Soares’ decision illustrated the difficulties of prosecuting sex crime allegations. But others said he should have proceeded if he considered the accuser credible.Commisso was among the critics.“My disappointing experience of re-victimization with the failure to prosecute a serial sexual abuser, no matter what degree the crime committed, yet again sadly highlights the reason victims are afraid to come forward, especially against people in power,” Commisso said in a statement to the Times Union of Albany.The Associated Press doesn’t identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Commisso has done in interviews.Soares, in a radio interview Friday, noted that the attorney general’s inquiry didn’t have the same legal requirements as a criminal case, and he said prosecutors can’t be swayed by public sentiment or “passions.”“It’s not for me to engage in any kind of debate with those who aren’t equipped with as much information or the obligations that I have. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but there’s only one person with a burden of proof, and that’s me,” he told the WAMC/Northeast Public Radio network.“I think the more dangerous position is to have a person in my position who will move forward, press forward, with cases because of fear of public backlash,” he added.Two prosecutors in the New York City suburbs separately announced last month that Cuomo would not face charges for allegations involving other women who said they had been subjected to unwanted kisses or touches.

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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was ordered by New York's ethics commission Tuesday to give up millions of dollars a publisher paid him to write a book about his response to the coronavirus pandemic.An attorney for Cuomo immediately called the action unconstitutional and promised a fight.Cuomo was directed to turn over proceeds earned from "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic" within 30 days under a resolution approved 12-1 by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.The order came a month after the commission voted to rescind the ethics approval it had given Cuomo as he entered into the $5.1 million book deal."American Crisis" was published in October 2020, months before Cuomo resigned amid allegations he sexually harassed at least 11 women. It was published by Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.The staff of the commission granted approval of the deal in July 2020, when his counsel told the commission Cuomo agreed to not use any state personnel or resources to produce his book and that he would write it "entirely on his own time." But complaints later surfaced that state property, resources and personnel were used to prepare, write, edit and publish the book.Cuomo has acknowledged that state employees helped with tasks including editing the manuscript. But he’s claimed that those employees were volunteering their private time.Cuomo's camp promptly challenged the commission's authority, setting up what could be a lengthy legal battle."JCOPE’s actions today are unconstitutional, exceed its own authority and appear to be driven by political interests rather than the facts and the law," Cuomo attorney Jim McGuire said in a prepared statement. "Should they seek to enforce this action, we’ll see them in court."A spokesperson for the attorney general's office, which would enforce the order, said they are reviewing the commission's vote "and determining how best to move forward."The commission's order hinges partly on a declaration that its retroactive revocation of its prior approval for the book deal means that Cuomo "is not legally entitled to retain compensation paid to him, in any form, for his outside activities related to the book."It doesn't specify an amount, but says he owes the state an amount equal to whatever compensation he received.Efforts to claw back the money could be complicated, in part because Cuomo already disbursed $1.5 million to a charity and a trust for his three daughters.Cuomo disclosed in May that he was paid a $3.1 million advance to write the book and that he was to make another $2 million on it over the next two years under the publishing contract. Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi had said then that after taxes and expenses, Cuomo netted $1.5 million on the book last year, with $500,000 of the profits donated to the United Way of New York State. The rest was being put in a trust for his daughters.Spokespeople for Cuomo and Crown Publishing Group did not respond to questions Tuesday about whether Cuomo had received money for the book beyond the initial $3.1 million.A separate state Assembly investigation released last month found evidence that Cuomo, who resigned in August, had his staff spend copious amounts of time on the project.Junior and senior staff members told investigators they were asked to perform book tasks during their work day, including transcribing dictations, printing and delivering documents, and attending meetings with agents and publishers. One senior state official sent and received 1,000 emails about the book, the legislative report said.Azzopardi said those allegations are false."This is political hypocrisy and duplicity at its worst. Governor Cuomo received a JCOPE opinion and advice of counsel stating that government resources could not be used — and they weren’t — and any staffer who assisted in this project did so on their own time, which was reflected on their timesheets," the spokesperson said.

A criminal complaint filed by a police investigator with a court in Albany has accused former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of committing a misdemeanor sex crime, though there were reports Friday that the document might have been submitted in error.The brief complaint, filed by an investigator with the Albany County Sheriff's Office, accused Cuomo of putting his hand under a woman's shirt on Dec. 7, 2020. The document didn't name the woman but Cuomo had been publicly accused of groping an aide, Brittany Commisso, at the executive mansion in Albany last year.The Albany County district attorney’s office and Albany County Sheriff did not immediately return messages but the Times Union, of Albany, quoted unnamed officials as saying the complaint had been issued "prematurely" by the court and that a final decision hadn't been made about whether Cuomo would face charges.Related video above: Full video of Andrew Cuomo announcing resignation.Cuomo's lawyer and spokesperson didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.Commisso, who was an executive assistant for Cuomo, says he reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the governor's mansion in Albany late last year.She said Cuomo pulled her in for a hug as she prepared to leave the governor’s office at the mansion. When she told him, "you’re going to get us in trouble," Cuomo replied, "I don’t care," and slammed the door shut, according to her account. Commisso said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast.Cuomo has adamantly denied groping her, saying once, "I would have to lose my mind to do such a thing."The Associated Press doesn’t usually identify alleged sexual assault victims unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Commisso has done in newspaper and television interviews.Commisso filed a complaint with the county sheriff in August in the same week a report from state Attorney General Letitia James concluded the Democratic governor sexually harassed 11 women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers. Other accusations outlined in the report range from planting unwanted kisses to asking unwelcome personal questions about sex and dating.Cuomo announced his resignation a week after the release of the blistering report, marking a dramatic downfall for the third-term governor who had been seen as a beacon of sturdy competence during his daily COVID-19 briefings in 2020.Commisso was referred to as "Executive Assistant #1" in the report but publicly revealed her identity after its release. She is the only woman mentioned in the attorney general's report known to have filed a criminal complaint.Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple at the time promised a "very comprehensive" investigation in partnership Albany County District Attorney David Soares.Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin has said that Commisso's "story changed over time."The complaint filed by the sheriff's department investigator said evidence in the case included police blackberry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo's mobile phone.District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties also had said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney general’s inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.Also, the Assembly Judiciary Committee is completing a wide-ranging impeachment investigation of Cuomo that began before he resigned. The also were looking at the administration’s handling of COVID-19 data and efforts to rush COVID-19 testing for Cuomo’s inner circle in spring 2020.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations Tuesday in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during the darkest days of COVID-19.The three-term governor’s decision was announced as momentum built in the Legislature to remove him by impeachment. It came after New York’s attorney general released the results of an investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women.Investigators said he subjected women to unwanted kisses; groped their breasts or buttocks or otherwise touched them inappropriately; made insinuating remarks about their looks and their sex lives; and created a work environment “rife with fear and intimidation.”Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a 62-year-old Democrat and former member of Congress from the Buffalo area, will become the state’s 57th governor and the first woman to hold the post.The #MeToo-era scandal cut short not just a career but a dynasty: Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, was governor in the 1980s and ’90s, and the younger Cuomo was often mentioned as a potential candidate for president, an office his father famously contemplated seeking. Even as the scandal mushroomed, Cuomo was planning to run for reelection in 2022.Cuomo still faces the possibility of criminal charges, with a number of prosecutors around the state moving to investigate him.The string of accusations that spelled the governor’s downfall began to unfold in news reports last December and went on for months.Cuomo called some of the allegations fabricated, forcefully denying he touched anyone inappropriately. But he acknowledged making some aides uncomfortable with comments he said he intended as playful, and he apologized for some of his behavior.He portrayed some of the encounters as misunderstandings attributable to “generational or cultural” differences, a reference in part to his upbringing in an affectionate Italian American family.As a defiant Cuomo clung to office, state lawmakers launched an impeachment investigation, and nearly the entire Democratic establishment in New York deserted him — not only over the accusations, but also because of the discovery that his administration had concealed thousands of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home patients.The harassment investigation ordered up by the attorney general and conducted by two outside lawyers corroborated the women’s accounts and added lurid new ones. The release of the report left the governor more isolated than ever, with some of his most loyal supporters abandoning him and President Joe Biden joining those calling on him to resign.His accusers included an aide who said Cuomo groped her breast at the governor’s mansion. Investigators also the governor’s staff retaliated against one of his accusers by leaking confidential personnel files about her.As governor, Cuomo touted himself as an example of a “progressive Democrat” who gets things done: Since taking office in 2011, he helped push through legislation that legalized gay marriage, began lifting the minimum wage to $15 and expanded paid family leave benefits. He also backed big infrastructure projects, including airport overhauls and construction of a new bridge over the Hudson River that he named after his father.At the same time the behavior that got him into trouble was going on, he was publicly championing the #MeToo movement and surrounding himself with women’s rights activists, signing into law sweeping new protections against sexual harassment and lengthening the statute of limitations in rape cases.His national popularity soared during the harrowing spring of 2020, when New York became the epicenter of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak.His tough-minded but empathetic response made for riveting television well beyond New York, and his stern warnings to people to stay home and wear masks stood in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s brush-off of the virus. His briefings won an international Emmy Award, and he went on to write a book on leadership in a crisis.But even those accomplishments were soon tainted when it was learned that the state’s official count of nursing home deaths had excluded many patients who had been transferred to hospitals before they succumbed. A Cuomo aide acknowledged the administration feared the true numbers would be “used against us” by the Trump White House.Also, Cuomo’s administration was fiercely criticized for forcing nursing homes to accept patients recovering from the virus.The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the state’s handling of data on nursing home deaths. In addition, the state attorney general is looking into whether Cuomo broke the law in using members of his staff to help write and promote his book, from which he stood to make more than $5 million.The governor had also increasingly come under fire over his rough and sometimes vindictive treatment of fellow politicians and his own staff, with former aides telling stories of a brutal work environment.Cuomo has been divorced since 2005 from the author and activist Kerry Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy family, and was romantically involved up until 2019 with TV lifestyle personality Sandra Lee. He has three adult daughters.He gained political experience early on as his father’s hard-nosed and often ruthless campaign manager, and went on to become New York attorney general and U.S. housing secretary under President Bill Clinton before getting elected governor in 2010.New York has seen a string of high-level political figures brought down in disgrace in recent years.Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008 in a call-girl scandal. Rep. Anthony Weiner went to prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stepped down in 2018 after four women accused him of abuse. And the top two leaders in the Legislature were convicted of corruption.

The leader of Time's Up, the #MeToo-era organization founded by Hollywood women to fight sexual harassment, resigned under fire Monday for advising Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration behind the scenes in its effort to discredit one of Cuomo's accusers.Time's Up said in a tweet that it agreed with Roberta Kaplan that stepping down as chair of the group's board of directors was "the right and appropriate thing to do."A report issued last week by New York's attorney general concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. The allegations have thrown the Democrat's career into extreme peril, threatening him with the possibility of both impeachment and criminal charges.Kaplan, a women's rights advocate who has a law practice of her own, counseled the administration last winter when Cuomo was hit with the first of the harassment allegations, leveled by a former economic development adviser, Lindsey Boylan.Both Kaplan and Alphonso David, leader of the Human Rights Campaign, were consulted over a letter the Cuomo administration had drafted attacking Boylan's credibility. Kaplan and David agreed to review the letter.According to the attorney general's report, Kaplan told the administration that with some adjustments, the letter would be fine to send out. David, a former counsel to Cuomo, declined to sign the letter but agreed to contact other people to see if they would. Other advisers, though, said it was a bad idea, and the letter was never widely disseminated.Kaplan's role in advising the Cuomo administration stunned sexual assault victims and others. Several past backers of Time's Up sent an open letter Monday demanding an investigation, charging that the organization's leaders "align themselves with abusers at the expense of survivors.""TIME'S UP should be ashamed," the letter said.Activist Alison Turkos, who organized the letter, said sexual assault victims feel they have been abandoned by purported advocates who were secretly working for the other side. "How are you telling survivors, 'We're a safe space for you, come to us,' but behind closed doors you are handing abusers a playbook of how to cover up and retaliate against your victims?" asked Turkos, whose letter was signed by dozens of self-described victims, including Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett.In her resignation letter, Kaplan said she had "reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active law practice is no longer compatible" with serving on the Time's Up board.She added: "Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers" — a reference to Cuomo's public support of the #MeToo movement, which included his signing of sweeping new protections in 2019 against sexual harassment.In addition to advising the Cuomo administration, Kaplan had more recently done legal work representing Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to Cuomo who resigned Sunday after the attorney general's report portrayed her as playing a central role in the effort to retaliate against Boylan.Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign said it is launching an investigation of the "appropriateness" of David's actions.David, in a statement Monday, said he welcomed that review amid what he called "multiple inaccuracies (that) have been circulating." He said he only learned of the governor's alleged misconduct from the Attorney General's report, and said he neither signed nor circulated the letter. He did acknowledge turning over 'an electric copy of a counseling memo regarding a state employee" after he left government, but said he was legally obligated to do so. "I have called for his resignation and reiterate that call today," he said of Cuomo.Kaplan in 2018 co-founded Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which helps women who have been subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.She successfully represented Edith Windsor before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013, winning the case that struck down laws against gay marriage across the U.S. She later published a book about the case, "Then Comes Marriage."Kaplan also represents writer E. Jean Carroll, who filed a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump in 2019 related to her claim that the former president raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has denied Carroll's allegations.Carroll supported Kaplan in a tweet Monday."Robbie Kaplan is my attorney and will always be my attorney. She over-turned DOMA which ushered in Gay Rights. She's fighting the Nazi's in Charlottesville. She is leading the battle for gender equality in women's sports. She is the best lawyer in America!!" she wrote.___Associated Press reporter Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report from Philadelphia.

The leader of Time's Up, the #MeToo-era organization founded by Hollywood women to fight sexual harassment, resigned under fire Monday for advising Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration behind the scenes in its effort to discredit one of Cuomo's accusers.

Time's Up said in a tweet that it agreed with Roberta Kaplan that stepping down as chair of the group's board of directors was "the right and appropriate thing to do."

A report issued last week by New York's attorney general concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. The allegations have thrown the Democrat's career into extreme peril, threatening him with the possibility of both impeachment and criminal charges.

Kaplan, a women's rights advocate who has a law practice of her own, counseled the administration last winter when Cuomo was hit with the first of the harassment allegations, leveled by a former economic development adviser, Lindsey Boylan.

Both Kaplan and Alphonso David, leader of the Human Rights Campaign, were consulted over a letter the Cuomo administration had drafted attacking Boylan's credibility. Kaplan and David agreed to review the letter.

According to the attorney general's report, Kaplan told the administration that with some adjustments, the letter would be fine to send out. David, a former counsel to Cuomo, declined to sign the letter but agreed to contact other people to see if they would. Other advisers, though, said it was a bad idea, and the letter was never widely disseminated.

Kaplan's role in advising the Cuomo administration stunned sexual assault victims and others. Several past backers of Time's Up sent an open letter Monday demanding an investigation, charging that the organization's leaders "align themselves with abusers at the expense of survivors."

"TIME'S UP should be ashamed," the letter said.

D. Ross Cameron / AP File Photo

Activist Alison Turkos, who organized the letter, said sexual assault victims feel they have been abandoned by purported advocates who were secretly working for the other side.

"How are you telling survivors, 'We're a safe space for you, come to us,' but behind closed doors you are handing abusers a playbook of how to cover up and retaliate against your victims?" asked Turkos, whose letter was signed by dozens of self-described victims, including Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett.

In her resignation letter, Kaplan said she had "reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active law practice is no longer compatible" with serving on the Time's Up board.

She added: "Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers" — a reference to Cuomo's public support of the #MeToo movement, which included his signing of sweeping new protections in 2019 against sexual harassment.

In addition to advising the Cuomo administration, Kaplan had more recently done legal work representing Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to Cuomo who resigned Sunday after the attorney general's report portrayed her as playing a central role in the effort to retaliate against Boylan.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign said it is launching an investigation of the "appropriateness" of David's actions.

David, in a statement Monday, said he welcomed that review amid what he called "multiple inaccuracies (that) have been circulating." He said he only learned of the governor's alleged misconduct from the Attorney General's report, and said he neither signed nor circulated the letter. He did acknowledge turning over 'an electric copy of a counseling memo regarding a state employee" after he left government, but said he was legally obligated to do so.

"I have called for his resignation and reiterate that call today," he said of Cuomo.

Kaplan in 2018 co-founded Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which helps women who have been subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

She successfully represented Edith Windsor before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013, winning the case that struck down laws against gay marriage across the U.S. She later published a book about the case, "Then Comes Marriage."

Kaplan also represents writer E. Jean Carroll, who filed a defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump in 2019 related to her claim that the former president raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has denied Carroll's allegations.

Carroll supported Kaplan in a tweet Monday.

"Robbie Kaplan is my attorney and will always be my attorney. She over-turned DOMA which ushered in Gay Rights. She's fighting the Nazi's in Charlottesville. She is leading the battle for gender equality in women's sports. She is the best lawyer in America!!" she wrote.

___

Associated Press reporter Maryclaire Dale contributed to this report from Philadelphia.

Melissa DeRosa, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aide, has resigned from her role, she told the media Sunday night, about a week after a state attorney general report found the governor had sexually harassed 11 women.DeRosa, who joined Cuomo's administration in 2013, eventually became one of the governor's most trusted confidantes. She wrote in a statement to news organizations that serving the people of New York had been “the greatest honor of my life.”“Personally, the past two years have been emotionally and mentally trying,” DeRosa wrote in her statement. “I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state.” DeRosa often defended Cuomo when he faced public criticism. In March, she told lawmakers that Cuomo's administration didn’t turn over nursing home death data to legislators last August because of worries the information would be used against them by President Donald Trump’s administration.DeRosa is chair of the New York State Council on Women and Girls, which Cuomo launched in 2017 to, in part: “make sure that every policy enacted and each program created takes into account the experiences of women and girls and tries to further advance equality in our state.”As the aftermath of the attorney general's report unfolds, Cuomo, a Democrat, has dug in for the fight of his political life despite the threat of potential criminal investigations and widespread calls for his impeachment.Scores of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some past Cuomo loyalists, have urged him to leave office or face an impeachment battle he probably cannot win.About two-thirds of state Assembly members have already said they favor an impeachment trial if he refuses to resign. Nearly all 63 members of the state Senate have called for Cuomo to step down or be removed.“My sense is from what I’m hearing is he’s still looking for ways to fight this and get his side of the story out,” state Democratic party Chairman Jay Jacobs said in an interview with The Associated Press. But Jacobs added: "I just think that he’s going to, at some point, see that the political support is just not anywhere near enough to even make an attempt worthwhile.”The governor’s lawyers have promised what will likely be a drawn-out fight to stay in office.“I am not aware of the governor having plans to resign,” Cuomo lawyer Rita Glavin told CNN on Saturday.Cuomo — who for months said the public would be “shocked” once he shared his side of the story — has not spoken publicly since the release of a 168-page report written by two independent attorneys who were selected by the state attorney general to investigate.A female executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her said Sunday that what the governor did to her was a crime. She was the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Cuomo.In her first public interview in which she identified herself, Brittany Commisso told “CBS This Morning” and the Albany Times-Union that the governor "needs to be held accountable.”Commisso has said Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the Executive Mansion last year and on another occasion rubbed her rear end while they posed for a photo.“He broke the law,” she said in an excerpt of an interview scheduled to be aired in full on Monday. Cuomo’s attorneys have centered his defense on attacking the credibility and motives of his accusers. Glavin has also blasted the investigation overseen by Attorney General Letitia James for not providing its findings and transcripts to Cuomo lawyers ahead of time, and for not including more material favorable to Cuomo in the report.“It was shoddy. It was biased. It omits evidence, and it was an ambush,” Glavin said.Dozens of state lawmakers who were once hesitant to call for Cuomo’s resignation or impeachment told the AP in recent interviews that they were swayed by the heft of the report.“I think the majority of us feel that the governor is not in a position to lead the state any longer, and that’s not a temporary position,” said Assembly member John McDonald, a Democrat whose district includes Albany.Cuomo has flat-out denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately, but he acknowledged hugging and kissing aides and other individuals.Glavin said it’s clear to Cuomo that people who “worked for him felt that he was invading their space and that it was unwanted.”“He doesn’t believe it was inappropriate,” Glavin said. “He has seen what these women have said, and he does feel badly about this."Meanwhile, the state Assembly’s judiciary committee planned to meet Monday to discuss when to conclude its monthslong investigation into whether there are grounds to impeach Cuomo.The investigation has focused on sexual harassment and misconduct, the administration’s past refusal to release how many nursing home residents died of COVID-19, the use of state resources for Cuomo's $5 million book deal and efforts to prioritize COVID-19 tests for the governor's inner circle in spring 2020, when testing was scarce.Some lawmakers want an impeachment vote in days, but committee members say the probe could wrap up in a month. State law requires at least 30 days between an Assembly impeachment vote and Senate impeachment trial.Assembly member Amanda Septimo called for urgency.“What we need to do the soonest is to get Cuomo out of power because of the way he uses it, like a weapon,” the Bronx Democrat said.Democrats are increasingly worried about how Cuomo will affect political races in New York and potentially nationally, Septimo said.“I’m willing to put money on how soon we see Cuomo’s face on an attack mailer somewhere in Ohio,” she said. “I feel like everyone’s calculus is bigger than themselves at this point, besides the governor.”Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would take over for Cuomo if a majority of the 150-member Assembly votes to impeach him.Cuomo championed a sweeping law he signed in 2019 that mandated anti-harassment training, extended the statute of limitations and declared that accusers do not have to prove they were treated differently than other workers. It also lowered New York’s standard for sexual harassment to include unwanted conduct that rises above the level of “petty slights and trivial inconveniences.”Many lawmakers have criticized the governor for failing to acknowledge that his unwelcome remarks and touching violated his administration’s own definition of sexual harassment, which is based on how a person feels despite the perpetrator’s intent.Cuomo also faces scrutiny from federal prosecutors over his administration’s handling of COVID-19 nursing home data. And the state ethics commission is looking into the same issues that the Assembly is investigating.In addition, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said Saturday that Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if investigators substantiate Commisso's complaint. At least five district attorneys have asked for materials from the attorney general’s inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.The investigation concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed a state trooper with unwanted touching and suggestive remarks, a previously unknown account. Investigators found that the governor wanted to assign the trooper to his security detail after briefly meeting her, even though she lacked qualifications for the job.Cuomo plans to address the allegation “very, very soon,” Glavin said.She defended the governor’s interest as an effort to increase diversity after he found the trooper “impressive” for maintaining eye contact with him in a conversation.

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FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

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FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

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FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

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FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

Subscribe to Fox News!
Watch more Fox News Video:
Watch Fox News Channel Live:

Watch full episodes of your favorite shows
The Five:
Special Report with Bret Baier:
The Story with Martha MacCallum:
Tucker Carlson Tonight:
Hannity:
The Ingraham Angle:
Fox News @ Night:

Follow Fox News on Facebook:
Follow Fox News on Twitter:
Follow Fox News on Instagram:

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FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

Subscribe to Fox News!
Watch more Fox News Video:
Watch Fox News Channel Live:

Watch full episodes of your favorite shows
The Five:
Special Report with Bret Baier:
The Story with Martha Maccallum:
Tucker Carlson Tonight:
Hannity:
The Ingraham Angle:
Fox News @ Night:

Follow Fox News on Facebook:
Follow Fox News on Twitter:
Follow Fox News on Instagram:

source

FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

Subscribe to Fox News!
Watch more Fox News Video:
Watch Fox News Channel Live:

Watch full episodes of your favorite shows
The Five:
Special Report with Bret Baier:
The Story with Martha Maccallum:
Tucker Carlson Tonight:
Hannity:
The Ingraham Angle:
Fox News @ Night:

Follow Fox News on Facebook:
Follow Fox News on Twitter:
Follow Fox News on Instagram:

source

Learn more about this story at

Find more videos like this at

Follow Newsy on Facebook:
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source

FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.

Subscribe to Fox News!
Watch more Fox News Video:
Watch Fox News Channel Live:

Watch full episodes of your favorite shows
The Five:
Special Report with Bret Baier:
The Story with Martha MacCallum:
Tucker Carlson Tonight:
Hannity:
The Ingraham Angle:
Fox News @ Night:

Follow Fox News on Facebook:
Follow Fox News on Twitter:
Follow Fox News on Instagram:

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