Court date for Cuomo after DA asks judge to dismiss charge
CTV
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was set to make a virtual appearance before an Albany judge Friday as prosecutors moved to dismiss the only criminal charge filed against the Democrat in connection with the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office.
The misdemeanor complaint was filed by the local sheriff in October, accusing Cuomo of groping an aide in the executive mansion in December 2020, eight months before he resigned.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares told Judge Holly Trexler earlier this week that although the aide was credible, and some evidence supported her account, he believed he couldn't win a conviction in court.
Soares and Cuomo's attorney each asked the judge to dismiss the complaint. With an arraignment already scheduled, the judge said Cuomo and the attorneys should appear virtually. The judge will preside over the proceeding from an Albany courtroom with the lawyers participating via videoconference.
The charges against Cuomo were based on allegations by Brittany Commisso, who said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast when they were alone in an office at the mansion.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding "miscalculations and misunderstandings."