Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York announced Monday that she has received the letter that instructs her to launch an independent investigation into claims of sexual harassment against Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.

While addressing the recent updates, James stressed that any allegations which involve sexual harassment shall be taken seriously. She further said that all findings of the investigation will be available in a public report, reported CNN. 

Also Read: Governor Cuomo requests New York Attorney General to pick lawyer for sexual harassment case review

The letter was received from Cuomo’s senior advisor and special legal counsel,  Beth Garvey, who insisted that the investigations shall be carried out by an independent law firm to assess the “allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual harassment claims made against the Governor”. 

In addition to that, the letter also seeks full cooperation from employees of the New York state and further highlighted that Cuomo will be declining to receive the weekly updates of the ongoing investigation, which was within his legal entitlement.

The announcement comes just a day after the New York Governor acknowledged his behavior and described it as “playful” and said it has been “misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation.” He also agreed to fully cooperate with any possible investigations after refusing to agree on any allegations and denying touching or propositioning inappropriately.

Also Read: Second former aide accuses NY Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment

He said, “I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”