Andrew Cuomo Demands Sheriff In Charge Of Sexual Assault Charge Preserve Communications His Office Had With Alleged Victims
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking for the sheriff's office responsible for handling his sexual assault charge to preserve all of the communications his office had with alleged victims, journalists, or other investigators.
Cuomo was charged with forcible touching Friday following a criminal complaint filed by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.
Cuomo's lawyer Rita Glavin wrote a letter to Apple demanding the sheriff's department to "preserve all records relating to your investigation into allegations concerning the Governor and take all necessary steps to ensure such records are preserved."
In addition, the letter also requested Apple to preserve communications with the alleged victim, Brittany Commisso, and her attorney, "including but not limited to phone records, text messages, email and any other electronic communications, notes, memoranda, recordings, and calendar entries."
However, a preservation letter is considered a standard legal tactic as defendants are entitled to a broad scope of evidence and other material related to an investigation.
The disgraced politician claimed the charge was based on insubstantial evidence and motivated by political agenda. He also alleged Apple to have corroborated with another New Yorker politician Tish James in what he called "an unprecedented move."
"In the last 72 hours, Sheriff Apple and Tish James have epitomized the worst combination of politics, incompetence, and abuse of the law," Cuomo tweeted.
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Coincidently Tish announced her run for governor the same day Cuomo was charged with criminal activity. Cuomo later accused her of using the charge for "political benefit."
"Law and politics are totally separate, and this is a toxic intersection of the two," Rich Azzopardi, spokesman for Cuomo, wrote in a statement. "Tish James used her office to attack the Governor for her own political benefit, and she violated the law in the process."
Apple denied the accusation and asserted the charge was not driven by political plot but was instead based on an "overwhelming amount of evidence."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Cuomo resigned as governor in August after being slammed with multiple sexual assault allegations. During a press conference, the embattled politician claimed he was "deeply, deeply" sorry to his alleged victims but maintained his innocence, saying, "In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone."
Following the resignation, he reportedly had since been keeping a low profile and hiding out in the Hamptons to spend time with his "close friends in their private homes."