New York AG sends notice to Cuomo to preserve documents in sexual harassment probe

New York Attorney General Letitia James said Friday that her office had sent a notice to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office asking it to preserve any records or files that may be relevant to the investigation into sexual harassment claims against the Democratic governor.

The preservation request, a relatively standard part of law enforcement procedure at this stage of any inquiry, was made for members of Cuomo's staff including aides and includes electronic communications as well, a spokesperson for James confirmed to NBC News.

This comes as James formally launched an investigation earlier this week into sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.

Cuomo on Wednesday publicly addressed the claims, apologizing for remarks he said "made people feel uncomfortable."

"I fully support a woman's right to come forward. And I think it should be encouraged in every way," he said. "I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional. And I truly and deeply apologize for it."

"I feel awful about it," Cuomo said. "And frankly, I am embarrassed by it. And that's not easy to say. But that's the truth. But this is what I want you to know, and I want you to know this from me directly. I never touched anyone inappropriately."

He then pleaded with New Yorkers "to wait for the facts from the attorney general's report before forming an opinion."

As of Friday, three women have accused the governor of inappropriate behavior.

Lindsey Boylan, a deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Cuomo from 2015 to 2018, wrote in an essay on the website Medium last month that she had been subjected ... (Read more)

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