U.S. Department of Justice opened civil investigation into sexual harassment claims against Andrew Cuomo

Albany, New York — The U.S. Department of Justice began a civil inquiry in August into sexual harassment claims made against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York officials disclosed Thursday. The exact nature of the inquiry and its current status were unclear.   The office of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who took office when Cuomo resigned in August, said it hired a law firm in October to handle "matters relating to ongoing investigations inherited from the previous administration," and that one of those matters was an investigation by the Justice Department's civil rights division and the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further at this time," said Hochul's press secretary, Hazel Crampton-Hays.   The law firm's hiring was initially disclosed in a contract made public Thursday as a result of public records requests by several news organizations.   The contract said the firm, Willkie Farr and Gallagher, is representing the governor's office in several investigations related to the previous administration, including a Justice Department inquiry "related to sexual harassment claims made against the then-governor."