Report: Former NY Gov. Cuomo Engaged In Sexual Harassment, Violated Ethics Rules In Book Publishing, ‘Not Fully Transparent’ About Nursing Home Deaths

A report released by the New York State Assembly found that former Governor Andrew Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment against former staffers and others, unethically utilized state employees to help write and publish his memoir of the COVID-19 pandemic, and misled the public about the impact of the virus on nursing home residents in his state.

The report, commissioned by the New York State Assembly Judiciary Committee and written by the law firm Davis Polk and Wardwell, details the allegations of sexual harassment and corruption. It also includes additional information alleging that Cuomo misled authorities on the safety standards of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, allowing the bridge to open despite knowing that there were safety concerns with its structural components. The report was initially intended to guide impeachment proceedings against Cuomo, but Cuomo resigned on August 10, rendering the investigation moot. The report was instead released to the public Monday. 

The document begins by listing the allegations against former Governor Cuomo, along with a summary of the evidence for each charge and the investigators’ findings. First and foremost, the report deals with the charges from twelve different women who worked for or with Cuomo during his tenure. “We conclude that there is overwhelming evidence that the former Governor engaged in sexual harassment,” the report asserts. The investigators go on to detail two of the twelve allegations against Cuomo, the first by an anonymous New York State Trooper, the second by one of Cuomo’s Executive Assistants, Brittany Commisso. 

“The experiences of Ms. Commisso and Trooper #1 are just two examples of the inappropriate nature of the former Governor’s conduct, and each independently satisfies the definition of sexual harassment under New York State law,” the investigators wrote. “The former Governor acknowledged his understanding of this standard in his sworn testimony before the [New York Attorney General].”

“We have reviewed the former Governor’s challenges to the Allegations, and nothing in his voluminous submissions can overcome the overwhelming evidence of his misconduct.”

The report lays out the allegations of Trooper #1, Ms. Commisso, and the ten other women against Cuomo in detail in a later section. 

Investigators next address the charges that Cuomo violated state ethics rules in writing and publishing his memoir “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

“We have reviewed evidence demonstrating that, in contravention of the requirement set forth by the Joint Committee on Public Ethics (‘JCOPE”) that ‘[n]o State property, personnel or other