ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The only criminal charge filed over the sexual harassment allegations that drove former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from office was dismissed Friday at prosecutors’ r…
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The only criminal charge filed over the sexual harassment allegations that drove former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from office was dismissed Friday at prosecutors’ request, clearing what had been seen as the most serious legal threat to the Democrat. The move had been expected after Albany County prosecutors said they couldn’t prove the case and wanted to drop it, and Cuomo’s lawyers asked the court to agree. Cuomo, who denied the allegation that he groped an aide in the executive mansion in 2020, didn’t speak during Friday’s short virtual hearing. Wearing a black mask, he was briefly visible on the videoconference as his lawyer Rita Glavin moved her camera to show him in the room. “As the governor has said, this simply did not happen,” she said in a video statement after the hearing. “Today, reason and the rule of law prevailed. Not politics, rhetoric or mob mentality,” Glavin added. Assistant district attorney Jennifer McCanney told the court that prosecutors had “reviewed all of the available evidence and concluded we cannot successfully secure a conviction in this case.” Judge Holly Trexler noted district attorneys’ “unfettered discretion” to decide whether to prosecute a case. “A court may not and should not interfere with discretion of a district attorney,” she said. He could still face lawsuits if his accusers choose to take him to court. Some, including Commisso, have indicated they plan to do so. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi bristled Friday that the former governor “will not pay one penny in attempts at civil extortion.
