Federal investigators find Cuomo harassed, retaliated against former employees

Federal prosecutors are backing the New York attorney general’s findings that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed several women and created a hostile work environment in the executive chamber.

In a settlement agreement between the feds and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office announced Friday, the U.S. attorney’s office slammed Cuomo for sexually harassing and later retaliating against former employees even while the former governor continues to deny the allegations.

“Former Governor Cuomo subjected at least thirteen female employees of New York State, including Executive Chamber employees, to a sexually hostile work environment. Governor Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances,” the report reads.

The settlement was the result of federal prosecutors’ own investigation into the former governor, which was carried out separately from probes by Attorney General Letitia James and the state Assembly Judiciary Committee.

The federal investigation into Cuomo began sometime in 2021, revolving around whether Cuomo and his office violated labor and civil right laws as the former governor was being pounded by a litany of sexual harassment allegations.

While carrying no formal legal charges against Cuomo, the federal settlement drew the same conclusions as the 2021 report by Attorney General Letitia James that ultimately led to the disgraced-ex Governor’s resignation.

“The conduct in the Executive Chamber under the former governor, the state’s most powerful elected official, was especially egregious because of the stark power differential involved and the victims’ lack of avenues to report and redress harassment,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division wrote in a statement.

Attorneys for Cuomo continue to deny the allegations and further claim that the federal investigation was politically motivated.

“This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation,” Rita Glavin, an attorney for the former Governor wrote in a statement.

The settlement agreement lays out recommendations including adding a Human Relations department within the Governor’s office. The feds not that many productive changes had already been implemented under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration.

“We appreciate the Governor’s stated determination to make sure that sexual harassment does not recur at the highest level of New York State government,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York wrote in a statement. “We share that goal and enter into this agreement to advance our common goal of creating clear, comprehensive and, most importantly, enduring policies preventing sexual harassment in the Executive Chamber.”

“The moment I took office, I knew I needed to root out the culture of harassment that had previously plagued the Executive Chamber and implement strong policies to promote a safe workplace for all employees, and took immediate action to do so,” Hochul wrote in a statement. “I am pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice has acknowledged the significance of those efforts, and look forward to partnering with them as we continue to build upon that success.”

Several of Cuomo’s accusers have pursued their own legal action against the former governor. Two lawsuits in federal court and one in state court remain ongoing.