NY Dems silent on AG Letitia James’ hiding of aide’s sex harass scandal
New York’s top Democrats refused to weigh in Tuesday as outrage mounted over Attorney General Letitia James’ handling of a sexual harassment scandal involving her longtime chief of staff — which she failed to disclose as she ran for re-election.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who didn’t make any public appearances, declined to comment, with a spokesperson pointing to Monday remarks in which the governor said the facts surrounding the situation “are still unfolding.”
Spokespeople for the state’s legislative leaders — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) — didn’t respond to requests for comment on the growing chorus of criticism.
Mayor Eric Adams also refused to take any “off-topic” questions during a 45-minute news conference to announce the appointments of two new top aides, with a spokesperson declining to comment afterward.
And incoming US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) — who voiced support for James during her sexual harassment probe of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — didn’t immediately answer an inquiry.
In March 2021, Jeffries called the allegations against Cuomo by state workers and others “very serious” and said that “they require a very serious investigation.”
“I’m confident that Attorney General Tish James will get to the bottom of everything, release a report that’s fully transparent, and then we can decide the best way to proceed thereafter,” he added.
Cuomo — who’s denied any wrongdoing — resigned six months later, saying that to fight his inevitable impeachment would paralyze state government, cost millions of tax dollars and “brutalize people.”
Last week, James’ chief of staff Ibrahim Khan resigned during what sources said was a probe into allegations of sexual harassment against him that James’ office received and kept “under wraps” ahead of her Nov. 8 re-election.
Documents released by James’ office Monday night confirmed that she hired an outside law firm, Littler Mendelson, on Oct. 4 to investigate the matter.
James refused to debate her Republican challenger, lawyer Michael Henry, ahead of last month’s election, making her the only statewide incumbent to do so.
On Tuesday, Henry said it had become clear why James “spent weeks in hiding.”
“Now we all know that she probably feared that somehow the sexual harassment scandal she worked so hard to cover up would come to light,” he told The Post. “It is disgraceful.”
James hasn’t said anything publicly since Khan quit, but her office has said she handles all allegations of misconduct “with the utmost seriousness and this situation is no different.”
A James spokesperson declined to comment Tuesday.
