Cuomo Lawyer Confronted Over Harassment Allegation from State Trooper: What’s Being Done to Protect Her and Others from ‘Potential Retaliation?’

Andrew Cuomo lawyer Rita Glavin was confronted by reporters during a Friday press conference about their defense over the 11 allegations of sexual harassment against the governor.

Given how Glavin disputed two of the 11 accounts laid out in the report, Wall Street Journal reporter Jimmy Vielkind brought up the allegation from the state trooper who said the governor inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions.

Glavin said “the governor will address the allegation himself.”

The report from the New York Attorney General’s Office said that Cuomo “played a role in having” this state trooper hired for his protective services unit, “even though she did not meet the minimum requirements for joining that unit at the time.”

Glavin took issue with the idea Cuomo wanted to bring her in “because of some improper motive” and pointed to the defense the governor gave investigators, that he wanted to address “the lack of diversity on his detail.”

“As the governor relayed it to the investigators, he had met this trooper, he thought she was impressive in their meeting, and he said, ‘I don’t understand, like, why can’t we hire somebody like her? Do you know her?’ And he was told she was excellent.”

Questioned on what Cuomo found impressive about her, Glavin said, “He liked how she maintained eye contact. He liked that she was assertive with him in the conversation. And then he asked one of the troopers he knows about her, and they said, yeah, she’s excellent.”

Minutes later, CNN reporter Sonia Moghe returned to the allegations from the state trooper and asked whether she is still assigned to protect the governor.

“Yes,” Glavin said.

Moghe questioned Glavin on what’s being done “to protect her and others” who have come forward with harassment allegations “against potential retaliation.”

She also brought up the November 16th timeline Glavin provided to dispute the account of Executive Assistant #1. “Is it possible that the executive assistant could’ve come on another day that just wasn’t reflected in the log? What is the mechanism used to log people coming and going from the executive mansion?” she asked.

With respect to the trooper, Glavin said, “The governor has a view of this particular trooper, you know, that’s positive in terms of her job and day to day. With respect to what’s being done about, you know, retaliation, look, the whole world is watching right now. People are not going to be retaliated against by Governor Cuomo.”

And regarding the question about Executive Assistant #1, she said “we did not find another day in November” she was at the governor’s mansion.

Moghe followed up by asking, “You’re personal attorney for the governor. Are you saying to me right now that you do not know whether or not one of the women who has accused the governor — who is presumably still part of his protective detail — you don’t know if she’s still near him every day on a day-to-day basis?”

She said she has reporting the trooper is in fact no longer on the detail, and asked if it was because of the trooper’s request or the governor’s.

“What you’re telling me right now, I didn’t know, that’s new news. And I actually can talk to my client about it. I do know that shortly before the report she was still on the detail,” Glavin responded.

You can watch above, via CNN.