纽约州州长办公室周日晚上宣布，纽约州州长安德鲁·科莫(Andrew Cuomo)已正式将此案移交给纽约总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯(Letitia James)，指控他对州长进行性骚扰。

这一决定使总检察长办公室能够进行有传票权的调查。

“总督办公室希望进行彻底和独立的审查，这种审查是无可指责的，不受政治干预。因此，州长办公室已经要求司法部长蒂什·詹姆斯选择一名合格的私人律师对性骚扰指控进行独立审查，”州长的特别顾问兼高级顾问贝丝·陈嘉炜在周日晚上的一份声明中说。“律师应公开报告他们的调查结果。总督办公室将自愿充分合作。”

詹姆斯周日早些时候拒绝了库莫的提议，选择一名独立的调查员进行审查，她在周日下午说。

在两名前助手本周对科莫提出指控后，陈嘉炜首先宣布将启动由前联邦法官芭芭拉·琼斯领导的独立审查。

但在批评者认为琼斯与科莫的高级助手史蒂夫·科恩(Steve Cohen)有业务联系，因此她不合适之后，州长办公室于周日上午发布了一份声明，称詹姆斯和上诉法院首席法官珍妮特·迪菲欧(Janet DiFiore)将共同选择一名“独立、合格、无政治背景的私人执业律师进行彻底审查，并发布公开报告”。

声明说:“我们选择了前联邦法官芭芭拉·琼斯，她在资格和正直方面有着出色的记录，但我们希望避免人们认为她缺乏独立性或对政治的推断。”“工作成果将完全由司法部长和首席法官亲自挑选的独立律师控制。”

周日晚些时候，詹姆斯拒绝了州长关于任命一名外部律师的呼吁，并重复了她关于从州长办公室正式转介的请求，以便她能够通过传票权力领导调查。

“澄清一下，我不接受总督的提议。该州的《行政法》明确授权我的办公室在州长提交后调查此事。詹姆斯在一份声明中说:“虽然我非常尊重首席法官迪菲欧，但我是正式当选的司法部长，根据《行政法》，我有责任完成这项任务。”。"州长必须提供这一转介，以便能够进行具有传票权力的独立调查。"

詹姆斯说:“我敦促州长立即做出这一决定。”。

约书亚·拉沙德·麦克法登/盖蒂图像，文件

2020年9月20日，纽约州总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯在罗举行的新闻发布会上发言

州参议员和美国参议员，纽约市长比尔·白思豪和其他人呼吁进行完全独立的调查。包括州参议员亚历山德拉·比亚吉在内的一些人呼吁科莫辞职。

对科莫的指控

库莫的两名前助手本周对州长提出性骚扰指控。

周三，林赛·博伊兰对州长提出了“性骚扰和欺凌”的指控，称这种行为持续了“数年”。

在一个在媒体上发布博伊兰描述了2017年10月与科莫、助手和一名纽约州警察在一架飞机上发生的一起事件，科莫建议他们玩“脱衣扑克”她还向朋友抱怨说，库莫“会特意摸我的下背部、手臂和腿。”

博伊兰于2015年开始在州办公室工作，后来被提升为经济发展部副部长兼州长特别顾问，他指责科莫在他的政府中创造了“一种性骚扰和欺凌如此普遍的文化，这不仅是宽容的，而且是意料之中的。”

博伊兰说，在看到科莫的名字作为潜在的美国司法部长候选人出现后，她被迫公开自己的名字12月13日在推特上发布针对库莫的指控。

“是啊，@NYGovCuomo性骚扰了我好几年。许多人看到了，并且观看了。我永远无法预料会发生什么:我会因为工作(工作很好)而被拷问，还是会因为长相而被骚扰。还是会是两个人在同一个对话中?多年来都是这样。”

Seth Wenig/AFP通过Getty Images，FILE

2021年2月22日，纽约州长安德鲁·科莫抵达纽约布鲁克林的一个疫苗接种点。

博伊兰目前正在竞选曼哈顿区长，他于2018年9月从州长办公室辞职。

博伊兰之后中型邮政库莫办公室发表声明，否认她对州长的指控。

根据新闻秘书凯特琳·吉鲁阿尔的声明，“正如我们之前所说，博伊兰女士关于不适当行为的说法完全是错误的”。

声明还否认了博伊兰对2017年10月航班事件的指控。

周六，在第二名原告对库莫提出指控后，要求独立调查和州长辞职的呼声越来越高。

夏洛特·贝内特，库莫的另一位前助手，告诉《纽约时报》据《泰晤士报》报道，州长去年春天骚扰了她，包括2020年6月5日的一次事件，据称库莫在事件中向她询问了关于她的个人生活、浪漫爱好的问题，并表示他“愿意与20多岁的女性交往”。

她告诉《泰晤士报》，班尼特于11月离开了科莫政府。

“我知道州长想和我睡觉，感到非常不舒服和害怕，”班尼特告诉《泰晤士报》，并补充说，她在6月5日事件一周后告诉科莫的参谋长吉尔·德罗斯尔斯(Jill DesRosiers)，并从行政助理的角色转移到了卫生政策顾问的角色。

库莫否认了这些指控，但在周日晚上的一份声明中说，他所说的一些话“被误解为不必要的调情”。

“在工作中，有时我觉得自己在开玩笑，开一些我认为很有趣的玩笑。库莫在声明中说:“有时候，我会用我认为是善意的方式戏弄别人。”。“我在公开场合和私下里都这样做。你已经看到我在简报上做了几百次了。我曾经取笑过人们的私生活，他们的关系，关于结婚还是不结婚。我无意冒犯，只是想给一件非常严肃的事情增添一些轻浮和戏谑。

库莫在声明中说:“我现在明白，我的互动可能不敏感或过于私人化，鉴于我的立场，我的一些评论让其他人产生了我从未想过的感觉。”

《泰晤士报》的报道发表后，库莫发表了一份声明，称班尼特是“COVID期间我们团队中勤奋和有价值的成员”，但否认对班尼特有任何进展。

约翰内斯·艾泽勒/法新社，通过盖蒂图像，文件

纽约州长安德鲁·科莫在纽约证券交易所的新闻发布会上发言

库莫说，他从未打算以任何不恰当的方式行事，并试图成为一名支持和帮助的导师。“我最不想做的事就是让她感受到任何被报道的事情，”他说。

“这种情况不能也不应该由新闻界来解决;我认为，了解真相的最好方法是通过全面彻底的外部审查，我正在指示所有的国家雇员遵守这一努力。我要求所有纽约人等待审查的结果，以便在做出任何判断之前了解事实。在审查结束之前，我不会发表进一步评论。”

科莫也因养老院死亡而受到抨击

美国联邦调查局(FBI)和联邦检察官也在调查科莫，他们正在调查州长的冠状病毒特别工作组，特别关注他的政府养老院的处理在冠状病毒大流行的早期，两位知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻。

调查，奥尔巴尼时报联盟首次报道，正处于起步阶段。消息人士称，传票已经发出。

美国联邦调查局拒绝置评，纽约东区美国检察官办公室也拒绝置评。

调查的全部范围目前还不清楚，但消息人士表示，人们对养老院特别感兴趣，这一直是库莫越来越沮丧的原因。

纽约总检察长办公室进行的一项调查显示，死于这种病毒的纽约养老院居民人数可能被低估了50%，该调查称，其中许多患者在被转移到医院后死亡，因此不计入养老院死亡人数。

从2020年3月1日开始的一周，调查人员向62家养老院询问了有关新冠肺炎现场和住院死亡的信息，发现这些数字与卫生部报告的数字之间存在显著差异。根据这份报告，在一个例子中，一个机构向卫生部报告说，现场死亡总数为5例确认的新冠肺炎死亡和6例推测的新冠肺炎死亡，但告诉咨询小组办公室，该机构实际上有27例死亡和13例医院死亡，相差29例。

本月早些时候，库莫的一名助手承认，出于对死亡人数的担忧，政府没有向州议员透露养老院的死亡人数特朗普政府用来反对国家的。

“他开始在推特上说我们杀了养老院里的所有人，”科莫的高级助手梅丽莎·德洛沙(Melissa DeRosa)在电话会议录音中谈到特朗普，德洛沙向美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)提供了录音副本。“他开始追求[新泽西州州长]菲尔·墨菲，开始追求[加利福尼亚州州长]加文·纽森，开始追求[密歇根州州长]格雷琴·惠特莫尔。他指示司法部对我们进行调查。”

库莫承认，他对养老院死亡数据的处理造成了一个“空白”，被错误信息和阴谋论填满了——但他拒绝道歉。

库莫在周一的新闻发布会上说:“我们因不提供信息而造成的空白充满了怀疑、犬儒主义和阴谋论，这加剧了混乱。”"我们制造的虚假信息造成的空虚，给所爱的人带来了更多的焦虑."

Cuomo says some of his words misinterpreted as 'unwanted flirtation' amid sexual harassment allegations

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has formally referred the case into allegations of sexual harassment against the governor to New York Attorney General Letitia James, the governor's office announced Sunday night.

This decision enables an investigation with subpoena power for the attorney general's office.

"The Governor's office wants a thorough and independent review that is above reproach and beyond political interference. Therefore, the Governor's office has asked Attorney General Tish James to select a qualified private lawyer to do an independent review of allegations of sexual harassment," Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior advisor to the governor, said in a statement Sunday night. "The lawyer shall report publicly their findings. The Governor's office will voluntarily cooperate fully."

James earlier Sunday rejected a proposal from Cuomo to select an independent investigator to conduct a review, she said on Sunday afternoon.

After two former aides came forward this week with accusations against Cuomo, Garvey at first announced that an independent review would be launched, led by former federal Judge Barbara Jones.

But after critics argued Jones was inadequate given her business ties to Cuomo's top aide, Steve Cohen, the governor's office released a statement on Sunday morning that James and the chief judge of the court of appeals, Janet DiFiore, would jointly select an "independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation to conduct a thorough review and issue a public report."

"We had selected former Federal Judge Barbara Jones, with a stellar record for qualifications and integrity, but we want to avoid even the perception of a lack of independence or inference of politics," the statement said. "The work product will be solely controlled by that independent lawyer personally selected by the Attorney General and Chief Judge."

Later on Sunday, James rejected the governor's call for the appointment of an outside lawyer and repeated her request for a formal referral from the governor's office so she can lead an investigation with subpoena power.

"To clarify, I do not accept the governor's proposal. The state's Executive Law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral. While I have deep respect for Chief Judge DiFiore, I am the duly elected attorney general and it is my responsibility to carry out this task, per Executive Law," James said in a statement. "The governor must provide this referral so an independent investigation with subpoena power can be conducted."

"I urge the governor to make this referral immediately," James said.

State and U.S. senators, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others arecalling for a completely independent investigation. Some, including state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, have called for Cuomo's resignation.

Allegations made against Cuomo

Two former aides to Cuomo made allegations of sexual harassment against the governor this week.

On Wednesday, Lindsey Boylan made claims of "sexual harassment and bullying" against the governor, saying it lasted "for years."

In apost on Medium, Boylan described one incident aboard a flight with Cuomo, aides and a New York state trooper in October 2017 where Cuomo suggested they play "strip poker." She also complained to friends that Cuomo "would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs."

Boylan, who began working in the state office in 2015 and was later promoted to deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, accused Cuomo of creating "a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive, that it is not only condoned but expected."

Months before her Medium post, Boylan, saying she was compelled to go public after seeing Cuomo's name floated as a potential U.S. attorney general candidate, begantweeting allegations against Cuomo on Dec. 13.

"Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years."

Boylan, who is currently running for Manhattan borough president, resigned from the governor's office in September 2018.

After Boylan'sMedium post, Cuomo's office issued a statement denying her allegations against the governor.

"As we said before, Ms. Boylan's claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false," according to a statement from press secretary Caitlin Girouard.

The statement also denied Boylan's allegations of what happened on the October 2017 flight.

Calls for an independent investigation and for the governor to resign have increased after a second accuser came forward with allegations against Cuomo on Saturday.

Charlotte Bennett, another former aide to Cuomo,told The New York Timesthat the governor harassed her last spring, including one incident on June 5, 2020, where Cuomo allegedly asked her questions about her personal life, romantic interests and stated that he was "open to relationships with women in their 20s," the Times reported.

Bennett left Cuomo's administration in November, she told the Times.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Bennett told the Times, adding that she told Cuomo's chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, a week after the June 5 incident and was transferred from the role of executive assistant to a health policy adviser.

Cuomo has denied the allegations but said in a statement Sunday night that some of the things he has said “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”

"At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way," Cuomo's statement said. "I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.

"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended," Cuomo's statement said.

Cuomo released a statement after the Times story was published, calling Bennett a "hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID" but denied making any advances towards Bennett.

Cuomo said he never intended to act in any way that was inappropriate and was trying to be a supportive and helpful mentor. "The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported," he said.

"This situation cannot and should not be resolved in the press; I believe the best way to get to the truth is through a full and thorough outside review and I am directing all state employees to comply with that effort. I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments. I will have no further comment until the review has concluded."

Cuomo also under fire for nursing home deaths

Cuomo is also being investigated by the FBI and federal prosecutors, who are looking at the governor's coronavirus task force, with a particular focus on his administration'shandling of nursing homesearly in the coronavirus pandemic, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The investigation,first reported by the Albany Times Union, is in its initial stages. Subpoenas have been issued, the sources said.

The FBI has declined to comment, as did the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

The full scope of the investigation is not immediately clear, but the sources said there was a particular interest in nursing homes, which have been a source of increasing frustration for Cuomo.

The number of New York nursing home residents who died from the virus may have been undercounted by as much as 50%, according to an investigation conducted by the New York attorney general's office, which said that many of those patients died after being moved to the hospital and were thus not counted as nursing home deaths.

Investigators asked 62 nursing homes for information about on-site and in-hospital deaths from COVID-19 beginning the week of March 1, 2020, and found significant discrepancies between those figures and the numbers reported to the Department of Health. In one instance, according to the report, a facility reported to the DOH that on-site fatalities totaled five confirmed COVID-19 deaths and six presumed COVID-19 deaths, but told the AG's office there were actually 27 deaths at the facility and 13 hospital deaths -- a discrepancy of 29 deaths.

Earlier this month, a Cuomo aide conceded the administration withheld the nursing home death toll from state lawmakers out of fear it would beused against the state by the Trump administration.

"He starts tweeting that we killed everyone in nursing homes," Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, said of Trump on the conference call recording, a transcript of which was provided by DeRosa to ABC News. "He starts going after [New Jersey Gov. Phil] Murphy, starts going after [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom, starts going after [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer. He directs the Department of Justice to do an investigation into us."

Cuomo conceded his handling of nursing home fatality data created a "void" that became filled by misinformation and conspiracy theories -- but he declined to apologize.

"The void we created by not providing information was filled with skepticism and cynicism and conspiracy theories which fueled the confusion," Cuomo said during a news conference Monday. "The void we created disinformation and that caused more anxiety for loved ones."