Cuomo changes plan and asks New York attorney general and chief judge to select independent lawyer to review sexual harassment claims

New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office has asked the New York attorney general and the chief judge of the court of appeals to jointly select an independent attorney to conduct “a thorough review” of sexual harassment claims against the governor.

“The Governor’s Office wants a review of the sexual harassment claims made against the Governor to be done in a manner beyond reproach. We had selected former Federal Judge Barbara Jones, with a stellar record for qualifications and integrity, but we want to avoid even the perception of a lack of independence or inference of politics,” Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior advisor to Cuomo, said in a statement Sunday morning.

“Accordingly we have asked the Attorney General of New York State and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals to jointly select an independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation to conduct a thorough review of the matter and issue a public report. The work product will be solely controlled by that independent lawyer personally selected by the Attorney General and Chief Judge.”

This story is breaking and will be updated.