New York once had an independent counsel to enforce campaign finance laws. But there's been scant oversight since the watchdog's powers were reduced, political and good-government leaders say.
Taxpayers are being forced to shell out more than $900 an hour for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lead defense lawyer, to help him try and fend off multiple allegations of sexual harassment, charges that he used staffers to help write a book detailing his handling of the pandemic and claims that he and aides hid from the public the true death toll among patients of nursing homes.
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks before getting vaccinated at the mass vaccination site at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem. | Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images
Cuomo accuser s lawyer criticizes Assembly s pick for impeachment counsel
ALBANY, N.Y. The New York State Assembly announced on Wednesday that it has selected the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP to assist with its impeachment investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The choice immediately faced criticism from the attorney of a woman who has accused the governor of sexual harassment.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement that the firm will give his house’s Judiciary Committee “the experience, independence and resources needed to handle this important investigation in a thorough and expeditious manner.” But Debra Katz, who is representing accuser Charlotte Bennett, pointed to some ties between the firm and the Cuomo administration, saying that the choice presents an “unacce