Albany DA To Drop ‘Forcible Touching’ Charges Against Andrew Cuomo

It seems Andrew Cuomo won’t be held criminally accountable for any of his actions as governor of New York.

The New York Post reported on Monday that “Albany County District Attorney David Soares is expected to drop criminal charges of forcible touching against disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo days before he was to be arraigned.” Cuomo was scheduled to be arraigned in Albany City Court on Friday for allegations that he groped Brittany Commisso, his former staffer, in 2020.

Commisso, according to the Times-Union, wanted to pursue charges against Cuomo, but was told during a meeting with prosecutors Monday afternoon “that they were planning to invoke their discretion not to move forward, in part, because of the manner in which the criminal complaint had been filed, according to a person briefed on the matter.”

Commisso’s attorney, Brian Premo, said in a statement Tuesday morning that his client “had no control over the filing or prosecution of criminal charges.”

“She had no authority or voice in those decisions,” Premo said. “The only thing she has any power over is her resolution to continue to speak the truth and seek justice in an appropriate civil action, which she will do in due course.”

Commisso alleged that Cuomo had pulled her in for a hug but then reached under her blouse and fondled one of her breasts in November 2020.

From the Times-Union:

The criminal case involving Commisso’s allegations began on Oct. 28 when a summons charging Cuomo with forcible touching was issued by an Albany City Court judge. The criminal complaint was issued after an investigator with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office went to City Court and presented evidence against Cuomo to a judge, including a sworn affidavit from the investigator.

The summons was issued without the knowledge of the district attorney’s office, which had been conducting a separate investigation of Commisso’s allegations, or the knowledge of Commisso’s attorney. The sheriff’s department had gathered evidence using search warrants — including electronic records they said supported the woman’s account of her Dec. 7, 2020, visit to the mansion — while the district attorney’s office had been relying on grand jury subpoenas.

The judge issued a summons against Cuomo a day before members of the sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices were scheduled to meet to evaluate the progress of their respective investigations. That meeting was canceled after the summons was issued.

This is the latest charge against Cuomo to be dropped. Also on Monday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office dropped its investigation into Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic and nursing homes.

As the Post reported: “Acting Nassau DA Joyce Smith also dropped the criminal case detailing ‘credible’ and ‘deeply troubling’ allegations that Cuomo ran his hand across the trooper’s belly at Long Island’s Belmont Park in 2019.”

Finally, Cuomo will also face no sexual misconduct charges in Westchester county after the District Attorney’s office said it had conducted a thorough investigation and found “credible evidence” that Cuomo had inappropriately touched women, The Daily Wire reported.

While these state charges were all dropped, the U.S. Department of Justice is still investigating Cuomo for sexual misconduct allegations.