DoJ finds Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed employees and settles with New York state

NEW YORK - The Justice Department confirmed in a settlement Friday that Former Governor Andrew Cuomo engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment and retaliation while he was in office.

The findings follow an investigation conducted by the State Attorney General in 2021, which found that Cuomo allegedly sexually harassed 11 women.

But this report by federal prosecutors goes even further, saying that Cuomo subjected at least 13 female 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 states.

Federal prosecutors also outline in their report that the Executive Chamber was aware of Cuomo’s conduct but failed to remediate this harassment.

"The United States also found that Cuomo’s senior staff were aware of his conduct and retaliated against four of the women he harassed," federal prosecutors wrote.

Erica Vladimer who co-founded the Sexual Harassment Working group says this report is validating for all the women who have come forward accusing Cuomo of misconduct.

"This is a settlement agreement that details what we have known for so long about the systemic harassment and retaliation of the former governor and his staff," Vladimer said.

In response to this report, Cuomo’s attorney Rita Glavin claimed that federal prosecutors based their entire investigation on the attorney general’s report and did not contact Cuomo at any point.

"Governor Cuomo did not sexually harass anyone," Glavin said. "This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation."

However, a law enforcement source close to the Justice Department’s investigation says that while the Attorney Geenral’s report was referenced it was not the only thing federal prosecutors used to file their report.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Attorney General Letitia James said, ""Today, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and created a hostile work environment, confirming what the New York Attorney General’s independent report found over two years ago. Andrew Cuomo can continue to deny the truth and attack these women, but the facts do not lie."

The DOJ opened this investigation in August 2021- the same month that Cuomo resigned.

Cuomo at the time was facing intense pressure to resign – with even President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on Cuomo to step down. 

However, now that the dust has settled, Chris Coffey a political analyst says that he doesn’t expect this new report will severely impact Cuomo’s ability to run for office again.

"I just don't know how many people are going to make up their minds based on this," Coffey said. "I very strongly suspect that we have not seen the last of Andrew Cuomo running for office in New York city or state."

Under the terms of this settlement - Governor Kathy Hochul has also initiated a series of reforms that were referenced in this report by the Justice Department- including new ways to report misconduct, expanding the Executive Chamber's HR department and removing employees who were identified as having enabled Cuomo’s misconduct.

"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," Governor Hochul said 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."