Andrew Cuomo sues NY AG to cover legal costs in harassment lawsuit

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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Letitia James for failing to provide him with legal representation when he was taken to court over harassment allegations.

"Sexually harassing young women who work for you is not part of anyone’s job description," a spokesperson for James told the New York Daily News on Thursday. "Taxpayers should not have to pony up for legal bills that could reach millions of dollars so Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer can attack survivors of his abuse."

According to court documents filed Wednesday, Cuomo argues that he is entitled to representation at the state's expense to defend a lawsuit against him because the allegations against him happened "while he was acting within the scope of his public employment and duties." The former Democratic governor's suit accuses James of wrongfully denying his request for counsel, arguing that the attorney general's decision was "arbitrary, capricious, contrary to the plain text of the statute, biased, personally and politically conflicted."

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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

Cuomo faces a lawsuit filed from an unnamed New York state trooper who accused the former governor of touching inappropriately and making flirtatious comments after having her transferred to his security detail. The trooper is seeking damages for "severe mental anguish and emotional distress."

Cuomo has maintained his innocence in this case, while prosecutors declined to bring charges in the case on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.

But the scandal, as well as accusations that the former governor also sexually harassed close to a dozen other women, led to Cuomo's resignation last year.

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James' office publicly pushed back against Cuomo's lawsuit, saying the former governor is "trying to force New Yorkers to pay his legal bills because he believes sexual harassment was within his ‘scope of employment’ as governor."

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, told Fox News that James' office is playing "political games."

"The report has been reviewed by five separate district attorneys and every single one has declined to move forward based on it — it was nothing more than a political document and holds no legal weight," he said.