Former NY Gov. Cuomo transcript reveals testy back-and-forth with harassment investigators

ALBANY – A newly released transcript of an 11-hour interview with then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in July provides a window into the combative back-and-forth with state-appointed investigators tasked with looking into his alleged sexual harassment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday publicly released thousands of pages of transcripts from interviews with Cuomo and his accusers, three months after issuing a report concluding the Democratic governor harassed 11 women.

The report ultimately helped push Cuomo out of office. He stepped down Aug. 23.

More: Read the transcripts of Andrew Cuomo and his accusers here

James, a Democrat who is now running for governor herself, had previously declined to release the transcripts while several district attorneys investigated Cuomo for potentially criminal behavior.

But with the Albany County Sheriff's Office filing a misdemeanor criminal complaint against Cuomo late last month, District Attorney David Soares' office is now required to turn over the transcripts and evidence to Cuomo in a timely fashion.

That led James to release the transcripts publicly Wednesday, with further evidence released "on a rolling basis" in the future, according to her office.

The transcripts lay out separate versions of events from Cuomo and his accusers, which include nine state employees. Among the transcripts is a sworn interview with Brittany Commisso, 33, an executive assistant whose claim that Cuomo groped her under her blouse is the basis for the pending criminal complaint.

The interviews were conducted by Joon Kim and Anne Clark, a pair of private attorneys appointed by James to lead the investigation, which Cuomo himself requested in March after multiple women came forward with harassment allegations.

Over the course of 515 pages, the transcript of Cuomo's July 17 interview lays out a tense, 11-hour session that saw the governor — a former attorney general — debate the meaning of words and phrases with a lawyerly aplomb.

At times, he aggressively questioned the independence of the interviewers, noting Kim was a deputy to former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who previously investigated Cuomo's administration and led the prosecution of Joseph Percoco, the governor's one-time top aide and close personal friend.

"I mean, the concept of you as the resolution to the conflict as an independent reviewer is bizarre to me and raises ethical and legal questions," Cuomo said in a particularly tense exchange with Kim. "The way you, then, have conducted the review itself I believe raises ethical and legal questions."

He saved criticism for Clark, too, suggesting her history as a well-known attorney for plaintiffs in sexual harassment cases "comes with a bias."

Cuomo's interview began at 8:17 a.m. and lasted until 7:01 p.m., with several breaks in between.

As Kim closed the interview, he thanked the Democratic governor for his time.

"I would like to say it was a pleasure, Mr. Kim," Cuomo said. "But I'm under oath."

Jon Campbell is the New York State Team editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JCAMPBELL1@Gannett.com or on Twitter at @JonCampbellGAN.

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Andrew Cuomo testimony: NY AG releases transcript of 11-hour interview