Two county prosecutors announced Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, will not be prosecuted after a female state trooper accused him of improperly touching her in 2019.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office conducted a scathing inquiry of the former governor’s actions that included the 2019 event.
BREAKING: Westchester DA declines to prosecute Cuomo despite "credible" allegations of improper conduct https://t.co/PTZ72kMPkQ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 28, 2021
While assigned to defend Cuomo at a 2019 event at Belmont Park racetrack as “Trooper No. 1” by the AG, the trooper claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed and improperly touched her on many times. Ex-hand governor’s was seen running over her tummy, according to the witness transcripts.
As he was stepping through the door, she added, “he took his left hand and essentially put his thumb facing down in the middle of my stomach on my bellybutton and pulled back towards my right hip, like, where my pistol is,” she said. In other words, “So he’s going in one direction, while his hand is running over my tummy in the other.”
Because “to me, that’s between my torso and my privates,” the trooper said in the report, “I felt like utterly violated,” the trooper claimed.
JUST IN: Westchester County, NY District Attorney concludes allegations against Fmr. Gov. Andrew Cuomo are 'credible' and 'did occur' but won't file charges.
"Although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges…" pic.twitter.com/biiZsKsRYC
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 28, 2021
Although a “exhaustive inquiry” into the trooper’s claims found them to be “credible, very worrisome,” according to Nassau County’s acting district attorney, they were not illegal under New York law.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stated in a statement, “It is essential to stress that our investigation was only restricted to alleged activity at Belmont Racetrack, and prosecutors in other jurisdictions are still reviewing additional accusations of impropriety by Mr. Cuomo.”
Added: “We applaud the courageous people who came forward and worked with our office throughout this inquiry and warmly recognize our colleagues, Attorney General James, and the New York State Assembly, for their dedication and cooperation,” she said.
When a trooper was on Cuomo’s detail at his Mount Kisco, New York, residence and another officer was there, the trooper said that Cuomo asked to kiss her. In order to avoid offending the governor, the trooper said that she consented to a cheeky kiss.
It was also announced on December 28 by the Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah, who cited the statute of limitations, that her office would not press charges against Cuomo for that incident or a separate case involving a woman who claimed that Cuomo grabbed her and kissed her cheek without consent in White Plains.
There was “credible evidence” to determine that the alleged behavior mentioned above occurred in both cases, according to Rocah. Although the claims and witnesses were credible and the behavior was troubling in both cases, my Office has concluded that we cannot seek criminal charges owing to the statutory requirements of New York’s criminal statutes.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, accused James of exploiting the inquiry against Cuomo as a “political springboard” for her own gubernatorial campaign, which she has now renounced.
Each each day, Azzopardi added, it becomes clearer that Attorney General Eric Holder’s report was an intersection of serious prosecutorial misconduct and a misuse of government authority for political ends. A media and political rush against Governor Cuomo was initiated by her news conference, which alleged ’11 incidents of breaches of federal and state laws.’
https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1475937105247449099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In the wake of several allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him, Cuomo announced his resignation as governor in August. Since then, he has disputed the scandal’s charges against him.
An counsel for Cuomo said in an August CNN interview that the governor apologized to the state trooper.
“He wants to apologize to trooper, number one,” lawyer Rita Glavin stated in the interview. I believe she testified that he didn’t intend to make her feel violated in any way, shape, or form. He has enormous regard for her.”
Glavin went on to say: “It’s important to note that she felt mistreated and that he did something unseemly, and I want to make that point clear. He has a lot of remorse about it.”
WayneDupree.com’s request for comment was not immediately returned by the lawyer defending the state trooper. When the Nassau County District Attorney decided against filing charges, we contacted James’ office for a response.