The governor’s choice of Ms. Jones, which seemed designed to grant him some measure of control over the outcome, was met with a torrent of criticism. Many elected officials — including the leaders of the State Senate and Assembly — seemed skeptical of Ms. Jones’s ability to act with total independence, while under Mr. Cuomo’s purview.
“I believe the Attorney General should make an appointment to ensure that it is a truly independent investigation,” Carl E. Heastie, the Assembly speaker, wrote on Twitter, referring to the state attorney general, Letitia James.
“There must be an independent investigation — not one led by an individual selected by the Governor, but by the office of the Attorney General,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Queens congresswoman, said on Twitter Sunday morning.
“With all due respect, you can’t pick a federal judge who works with your good friend and decide that that’s going to be the investigator,” said Liz Krueger, a Democratic state senator from Manhattan.
Kathleen Rice, a Long Island congresswoman and a former Nassau County district attorney, put it even more bluntly.
“The accused CANNOT appoint the investigator,” Ms. Rice wrote on Twitter. “PERIOD.”
A handful of lawmakers from the Democratic Party’s leftmost flank joined with some Republicans to demand that Mr. Cuomo immediately resign.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/28/nyregion/cuomo-investigation-sex-harassment.html
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