Justice Department now probing sexual harassment claims against Andrew Cuomo

The Justice Department is now looking into allegations of sexual harassment by former New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The agency's probe follows criminal investigation by various New York state district attorneys into Cuomo's conduct while in office toward women – many of whom worked for him.

Cuomo's time in office ended in August when he resigned days after the release of a report commissioned by state Attorney General Letitia James that found Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women in the past several years.

The federal investigation was discovered via a legal services contract signed by the office of current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul with the law firm Wilkie Farr & Gallagher.

The contract was initially obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request from the New York Post.

The contract states the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies had made preliminary requests for information pertaining to Cuomo's mid-March 2020 memo that sent COVID-19 positive patients to nursing homes. 

Furthermore, authorities have requested information about a book deal, reportedly worth close to $5 million, that Cuomo received to write about his handling of the pandemic in New York.

"Our understanding is that the Civil Division [of the DOJ] opened an inquiry in August based upon the AG’s [attorney general’s] politically motivated sham report and we have heard nothing since," said Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi.

Cuomo's younger brother, Chris, was also suspended indefinitely from his job at CNN this week pending further review of the role he played in advising his brother, the then-governor, as the sexual harassment claims became public earlier this year.

The network says it did not have a complete understanding of just how involved Chris was with his brother's defense until text messages that were part of the attorney general's investigation were released this week.