Nassau County prosecutors declined to bring charges against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo over sexual misconduct allegations stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation.
“Our exhaustive investigation found the allegations credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal under New York law,” Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said.
Nassau County investigated allegations that Cuomo inappropriately touched a state trooper at Belmont Racetrack in September 2019 in Long Island, New York. The unidentified state trooper is one of eleven women whose allegations were vetted during James’ investigation of Cuomo.
The state trooper alleged Cuomo “ran the palm of his left hand across her abdomen, to her belly button and then to her right hip,” while holding a door open for the former governor.
In James’ report, the state trooper said she did not plan to report Cuomo’s misconduct because she felt like she could not do anything about the situation.
“I’m a trooper, newly assigned to the travel team. Do I want to make waves? No,” she said, according to the report. “I’ve heard horror stories about people getting kicked off the detail or transferred over like little things. … I had no plans to report it.” The state trooper also described other times when she felt Cuomo’s behavior towards her was “flirtatious” and “creepy.”
Nassau County’s investigation was limited to Long Island’s Belmont Racetrack incident. Other counties like Albany are still investigating sexual misconduct allegations against Cuomo.
“It is important to note that our investigation was limited to alleged conduct at Belmont Racetrack, and prosecutors in other jurisdictions continue to review other allegations of misconduct by Mr. Cuomo,” Smith said.
“We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation, and gratefully acknowledge our colleagues, Attorney General James and the New York State Assembly, for their diligence and collaboration,” she added.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in New York. Cuomo says he will resign over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. The three-term Democratic governor’s decision, which will take effect in two weeks, was announced as momentum built in the Legislature to remove him by impeachment. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Cuomo denied the allegations of sexual misconduct, and his team continues to emphasize Cuomo’s innocence. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi claims the former governor “did not remember touching the Trooper, but said that it was a common custom for him to acknowledge the presence of a trooper — male or female — holding a door as he walked past them.”
“This was only meant to be an acknowledgment of their presence and nothing more,” Azzopardi said.
Azzopardi claims that James’ investigation into Cuomo was politically motivated, evidenced by her short-lived run for New York’s governorship.
He told the Washington Examiner:
With each passing day it becomes more and more clear that the Attorney General’s report was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes … It was obviously a political springboard to remove Governor Cuomo so she could run for office, however, it was so poorly done and obviously, it backfired, and James’ run for governor lasted only 5 weeks.
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