The increasing questions implicit James’ handling of the lawsuit travel aft she was reelected to a 2nd word Nov. 8 and aft her damning study successful August 2021 implicit intersexual harassment complaints against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his office’s handling of them led to his resignation.
James’ bureau confirmed Dec. 2 that Khan resigned pursuing an probe into a fistful of intersexual harassment allegations against him. The bureau did not item the concern until days later, saying lone “an independent, impartial probe was conducted, and the worker has since resigned.”
Quintanar, who worked for James arsenic a lawman property caput until 2021, said that she ran into Khan astatine a fundraiser successful November of that year, aft she had near the office. Quintanar told the Times that “Khan pulled her adjacent and ‘stuck his lingua down my throat’” erstwhile the 2 were unsocial extracurricular the venue. She said she had told a tiny fistful of people, and different pistillate began crying arsenic she confirmed akin experiences with Khan.
The Sexual Harassment Working Group, a conjugation of erstwhile legislative staffers that has successfully pushed for much protections for survivors of harassment, is besides criticizing the handling of the events. The radical applauded the Attorney General’s Office’s actions toward a punctual investigation, but said the “lack of archetypal transparency” since the quality of Khan’s resignation broke “is a nonaccomplishment of communication.”
“We expect the Attorney General’s bureau to grip complaints appropriately and pass efficaciously astir the latest investigation,” the radical said successful a Tuesday statement. “Once an probe is concluded, the nationalist is owed a afloat accounting of the presumption and timeline of events and the findings, prevention for idiosyncratic details to support the victims’ privateness and dignity. “
James released her archetypal authoritative remark connected Khan connected Wednesday soon earlier the Times communicative posted online. She thanked the women who came guardant and said, “I privation to guarantee them that they were heard and that I judge them.”
She besides defended the actions her bureau took.
“My bureau treated this substance arsenic aggressively arsenic each different substance that has travel earlier our office,” she said. “Within 24 hours, our bureau took disciplinary enactment and enactment Ibrahim Khan nether restrictions, and wrong 72 hours, we engaged an extracurricular instrumentality steadfast that began an impartial and exhaustive reappraisal of the allegations. Mr. Khan resigned portion the process was inactive ongoing. When the process concluded, my bureau spoke with each idiosyncratic and informed them that allegations were substantiated. I americium assured successful the steps that were taken to swiftly reappraisal the allegations and successful the integrity of the investigation.”
On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul expressed assurance successful the steps James took erstwhile asked astir the morals of what benignant of details she shared with the nationalist and when.
“I’m not going to conjecture connected what’s connected people’s minds and what their motivations are,” she told reporters aft an unrelated event.
“I’m simply saying that there’s a lot… the concern is not precise clear, but it seems to maine — based connected nationalist reports, which is each I cognize — is that steps were taken to analyse this and prosecute this and the idiosyncratic is nary longer successful the presumption they were erstwhile in.”
Shannon Young contributed to this report.
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