• New York Attorney General Letitia James will oversee an investigation with subpoena power into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
• Cuomo's office asked the AG to name a private lawyer to investigate the allegations after facing pressure from his own party.
• Cuomo said in a statement that he has "teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married" and did not mean to offend anyone.

New York Attorney General Letitia James will oversee an investigation with subpoena power into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the state's top Democrat gave into pressure from his own party to agree to an independent probe.

Cuomo's office asked James on Sunday to appoint a private lawyer to conduct an independent review of the allegations. The lawyer will be designated a Special Independent Deputy Attorney General and have all powers provided under state law, according to the governor's office.

Cuomo's office on Sunday evening said it would cooperate fully with an independent review.

"This is not a responsibility we take lightly," James said in a statement Sunday evening. "We will hire a law firm, deputize them as attorneys of our office, and oversee a rigorous and independent investigation."

Cuomo's decision to empower James to oversee an investigation into the allegations against him is a reversal for the governor. He had asked James and Janet DiFiore, chief judge on the state's highest court, to choose who will oversee an independent probe. However, James rejected the proposal that she work with DiFiore and requested full power under state law to conduct an independent probe.

The back and forth with James and the decision ultimately to empower her comes after Cuomo backed off his first plan earlier in the day to appoint a former federal judge, who has a close connection to one of his top advisors, to oversee an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against him.

A slew of Democrats criticized the governor's initial pick to lead a review and called for an independent probe of allegations after a second female aide came forward to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. Some Democratic lawmakers also joined some Republicans to call on Cuomo to immediately resign.

Cuomo's office initially said it would choose former federal judge Barbara Jones to lead the review. Jones had worked with Cuomo's top adviser Steven Cohen.

Second woman raises allegations

The calls for an independent investigation follow a New York Times report published on Saturday evening that described the accusations of Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to the governor, who said Cuomo had asked her about her sex life and whether she was monogamous in relationships and had ever "been with an older man."

It was the second allegation against the governor in a week. Former aide Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official, detailed sexual harassment claims against Cuomo last week, including a kiss without her consent in his Manhattan office. Cuomo has denied Boylan's accusations.

Cuomo responded to Bennett's allegations in a statement on Saturday, saying he intended to serve as a mentor and "never made advances toward Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate."

Cuomo said in another statement Sunday evening that he has "teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."

"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended," Cuomo said. "I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that."

Pressure from Democrats

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday Cuomo should face an independent review over both sets of allegations in an interview on CNN, adding that it's something President Joe Biden supports and "we believe should move forward as quickly as possible."

A spokesperson for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the senator believes the allegations "should be thoroughly and independently investigated." Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., also called for an "independent, transparent and swift investigation into these serious and deeply concerning allegations."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined other Democrats in calling for an independent probe of the governor that is not led by someone Cuomo has chosen, but rather by the state attorney general.

"Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett's detailed accounts of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo are extremely serious and painful to read," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a tweet Sunday morning. "There must be an independent investigation — not one led by an individual selected by the Governor, but by the office of the Attorney General."

The new allegations also come after a report in January that Cuomo's administration failed to report thousands of Covid-19 deaths in the state's nursing homes.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, a Democrat, said on Sunday that the state legislature must immediately revoke Cuomo's emergency powers that overrule local control and called for two separate independent probes into the sexual misconduct allegations and the undercounting of deaths at nursing homes.

"New Yorkers have seen detailed, documented accounts of sexual harassment, multiple instances of intimidation, and the admitted withholding of information on the deaths of over 15,000 people," De Blasio said in a statement. "Questions of this magnitude cannot hang over the heads of New Yorkers as we fight off a pandemic and economic crisis."

New York state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi commended the two women for coming forward with their allegations and called on the governor to resign in a statement posted on Twitter Saturday evening.

"The harassment experienced by these former staffers is part of a clear pattern of abuse and manipulation by the governor, and that pattern makes him unworthy of holding the highest office in New York," Biaggi wrote.

Republicans also renewed calls for Cuomo to resign following the second allegation, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who in a statement on Saturday called the governor a "criminal sexual predator" and said he must resign immediately.