Gov. Cuomo’s lawyer blasts threat of impeachment ‘punishment’ for aide’s tweet

A threat to punish Gov. Andrew Cuomo over an aide’s tweet through “severe repercussions” on his impeachment investigation raises serious “constitutional concerns,” one of Cuomo’s outside lawyers told the head of the probe on Thursday.

Former New Jersey US Attorney Paul Fishman, who the governor hired in March to defend him against sexual harassment allegations, denied that Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi was trying to suppress witness testimony when he suggested a related investigation by state Attorney General Letitia James was politically motivated. In a letter to Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Lavine (D-Long Island), who is leading the impeachment investigation against Cuomo, Fishman also said Azzopardi’s tweet was protected by both the First Amendment and the state constitution.