Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday — alleging that she repeatedly violated attorney conduct rules in connection with the sexual harassment probe that forced him to resign under threat of impeachment last year.
In his latest attempt to avenge himself against his accusers, Cuomo said James had “an intolerable personal and political conflict of interest” and “engaged in a terrible and quite obvious manipulation of facts, evidence and the law” during and after her blockbuster investigation.
“As AG James has said: ‘No matter who you are, no one is above the law,'” he wrote.
“AG James is subject to the same duties and rules of conduct as any other lawyer, as, as the chief legal officer of this state, she has a unique responsibility to act only in the public interest and not to mislead the public.”
Cuomo added: “She must be held accountable for her misconduct.”
Under the state Unified Court System’s Rules of Professional Conduct, lawyers can be disbarred for a broad range of non-criminal wrongdoing, including anything that “adversely reflects” on their “fitness as a lawyer.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed an ethics complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia James over alleged misconduct in her handling of the sexual harassment probe against him. Stephen YangCuomo’s 48-page letter to the state First Judicial Department’s Attorney Grievance Committee rehashed many of the same arguments that his defense lawyer, Rita Glavin, made during a series of news conferences following his Aug. 10, 2021, resignation.
But he also seized on an exclusive, front-page report in The Post last year that revealed how a state police bodyguard allegedly spotted the then-governor and his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, “making out on the sidewalk like high schoolers.”
Cuomo accused James of intentionally including “inflammatory hearsay” testimony even though she “knew she had directly contrary information and chose not to release it.”
“Once AG James released that portion of the transcript and the media then seized on it, AG James had an obligation to tell the public that other troopers contradicted the story,” he wrote.
“By failing to do so she misled the public and committed misconduct.”
Cuomo claimed that James had “an intolerable personal and political conflict of interest” in the probe. Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty ImagesGlavin’s long-winded virtual presentations — which lasted up to two hours each and were livestreamed on Cuomo’s campaign website — were part of a multi-pronged strategy to rehabilitate his tattered image as he flirted with a potential political comeback.
Cuomo posted photos on social media that showed him fishing with one of his few remaining friends — his dog, Captain — and celebrating his 64th birthday at a tiny party with his youngest daughter and two guests who attended remotely via cellphone video.
He also paid for TV commercials that touted decisions by five district attorneys not to pursue criminal charges based on James’ findings and spoke at predominantly black and Hispanic churches where he blamed his downfall on “cancel culture.”
In addition to the sexual harassment scandal, Cuomo’s resignation came amid investigations into the alleged groping of an aide, his cover-up of nursing home deaths from COVID-19 — which critics blame on his policies — his $5.1 million deal for a pandemic memoir and reported safety concerns on the span that replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Cuomo has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Although some polls showed the former second-generation Democratic governor could pose a threat to his successor — Gov. Kathy Hochul, who’s facing Republican challenger Lee Zeldin in a bid for a full term — Cuomo ultimately stayed on the electoral sidelines.
But he recently spent $60,000 on Facebook ads to promote an op-ed column by libertarian Cato Institute fellow Cathy Young that was published late last month.
In it, Young said a review of public records and an exclusive interview with Cuomo had led her to believe that his “resignation may eventually be seen, like that of Sen. Al Franken in 2017, as a case of #MeToo excess rather than success.”
In addition to targeting James, Cuomo’s letter to the Grievance Committee alleges misconduct by the two outside lawyers she hired to conduct the investigation that concluded he sexually harassed 11 women, including nine current or former state workers.
The attorney general’s office released a statement saying James holds herself to the “highest ethical standards.” APCuomo alleged that the lawyers — former acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim and Anne Clark, an expert in employment discrimination — exhibited “bias” and misled the public with a 168-page report that “deliberately omitted evidence contradicting allegations of sexual harassment and undermining witness and complainant credibility.”
In a prepared statement, the AG’s Office said, “Attorney General James, Joon Kim, and Anne Clark hold themselves to the highest ethical standards.”
“Mr. Cuomo resigned after an independent investigation revealed that he preyed on multiple women who worked for him. New Yorkers are ready to move forward and close this sordid chapter in our state’s history,” the statement added.







