ALBANY, N.Y. — State lawmakers told Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday that their ongoing investigation of his conduct in office is almost done and gave him a deadline of Aug. 13 to provide additional evidence as they moved toward what seemed like an increasingly inevitable impeachment battle.
Since March, the Assembly’s judiciary committee has been investigating whether there are grounds to impeach the Democratic governor over sexual harassment allegations, misleading the public about COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and using state resources and staff for his $5 million book deal.
In a letter sent Thursday, the law firm leading the investigation, Davis Polk &Wardwell, reminded Cuomo’s legal team that it has subpoenaed certain documents and expects “full compliance from the governor,” but that his time to respond was almost up.
“We write to inform you that the Committee’s investigation is nearing completion and the Assembly will soon consider potential articles of impeachment against your client,” they wrote. “Accordingly, we invite you to provide any additional evidence or written submissions that you would like the Committee to consider before its work concludes.”
The letter was released publicly by Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine, a Long Island Democrat.
Cuomo’s spokesman, Rich Azzopardi, said in a statement that the governor would cooperate.
“The Assembly has said it is doing a full and thorough review of the complaints and has offered the Governor and his team an opportunity to present facts and their perspective,” he wrote. “The Governor appreciates the opportunity.”
The Judiciary Committee has scheduled its next meeting on the matter for Monday.
Findings from an independent investigation overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James released earlier this week said Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women, and that his administration retaliated against at least one of them for going public with her allegations.
Cuomo has denied making any inappropriate sexual advances and insists the findings don’t reflect the facts. He’s resisted numerous calls for his resignation from most of New York’s top Democrats and from national figures like President Joe Biden.
The governor has not made himself available to reporters since the report’s release Tuesday and hasn’t appeared in public. Photos published by the New York Post showed him working Thursday from a lounge chair by the pool at the Executive Mansion in Albany.
