ALBANY – Two years ago, Attorney General Letitia James announced the results of an investigation finding that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed a number of women. At the time of the announcement, James promised that the investigation’s underlying interviews and evidence “will be made available to the public.”
James’ office ultimately released the transcripts of 41 interviews conducted with witnesses, as well as about 1,000 documents. But a request by the media for more information about other witness interviews has been rejected. James’ office has opposed allowing Cuomo lawyers to view tens of thousands of documents from the inquiry that effectively forced his resignation, and a judge has sided with James.
Now comes the latest episode, one raising questions about a taxpayer-funded contract with a law firm, Cleary Gottlieb, that James hired to conduct the original investigation.
James’ office declined to provide specific information this week about the work the law firm did to recently earn at least $1.1 million in taxpayer funds.
Since Cleary Gottlieb completed its original sexual harassment investigation for James in August 2021, the firm has been paid $4 million more through two contract extensions. A purpose for both, according to state contracting records, has been for the firm to perform “redactions”: blanking out portions of documents from the investigation, deemed private information by the law firm, so that the remainder may be released for public consumption.
A copy of the latest $1.3 million contract extension, struck by James’ office in the summer of 2022, specified that a purpose was to “conduct redactions of voluminous amounts of transcripts, exhibits and documents” for the purpose of “ultimately making them public.”
Other purposes, according to the contract extension, included the need to redact video depositions, to provide materials to law enforcement, and to respond to lawsuits.
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