The resignation of former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has led to a battle between Governor Cuomo and Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance.
Cuomo appointed Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as a special prosecutor to investigate abuse allegations against Schneiderman. A story in The New Yorker accuses the former Attorney General of being physically abusive towards four women.
Cuomo said the special prosecutor will supersede the jurisdiction of the Manhattan D.A.’s office, which had already announced it would investigate Schneiderman. The governor said there was a potential conflict of interest because the Attorney General was investigating how the D.A.’s office handled alleged sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein.
“There can be no suggestion of any possibility of the reality or appearance of any conflict or anything less than a full, complete and unbiased investigation. The victims deserve nothing less,” Cuomo said in a statement.
D.A. Vance criticized the move in a letter addressed to the governor and obtained by the New York Post. He said he has “absolute confidence” in Singas, but added that he “strongly” objects to the move.
“However, the only potential conflict here is one of your creation: your recent directive that the AG’s office review, among other things, a 2015 investigation of Harvey Weinstein by my office and the NYPD,” Vance wrote.
He added that having the Attorney General investigate the handling of the Weinstein case was “an unwarranted intrusion.”
Alphonso David, the counsel to Governor Cuomo, issued a statement saying they appointed the special prosecutor to ensure the integrity of the process.
I view the District Attorney's editorial commentary as both inappropriate and misguided given the ongoing investigations," David said.
Source: New York Post
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