(CNN)New York Attorney General Letitia James was only a few months into her second term as New York City’s public advocate when, over a few hours during a dinner party with friends, a stunning twist of fate put her on a collision course with the state’s most powerful man, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
In a report published on the evening of May 7, 2018, by The New Yorker, then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was leveled with a series of domestic and sexual abuse allegations. Within hours — by the time dessert came around, James recounted later that year — Schneiderman had announced plans to step down. The next week, James declared her candidacy to replace him.
That November, James was elected New York’s attorney general, the first Black person and woman to win statewide office. On the same night, Cuomo won his third term. The pair, who exchanged endorsements that spring, made for strange political allies. James is a favorite of New York progressives, Cuomo their longtime rival and antagonist. But the support of the governor proved too much to turn down and, despite some grumbling on the left, James joined his ticket.
Now, with Cuomo facing calls for his resignation following two allegations of sexual harassment and an accusation that he made unwanted advances on another woman at a 2019 wedding, James is poised to lead an investigation that could derail his political career. After a very public back-and-forth last weekend, Cuomo agreed — after twice pushing for arrangements that would cut off or limit James’s role in the probe — to formally refer the matter to her office. James is now at the helm of an independent civil inquiry into the governor’s behavior. Her office is currently seeking outside counsel, which will be armed with subpoena power and the ability to depose Cuomo as the investigation, which could last for months, gets underway.
Source: NY Attorney General Letitia James takes charge of Andrew Cuomo probe
