By Tyler Clifford
NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is investigating former U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Thursday that she was suspending her campaign for New York governor, just six weeks after announcing a run.
“I have come to the conclusion that I must continue my work as attorney general. There are a number of important investigations and cases that are underway, and I intend to finish the job,” James said in a statement on Thursday.
The attorney general’s office issued a 168-page report https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2021.08.03_nyag_-_investigative_report.pdf in August that found that then Governor Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. The report, which detailed the findings of an independent investigation, led Cuomo to resign while denying any wrongdoing.
James, a Democrat, announced her candidacy for governor in October. She said in a statement on Thursday that she would instead seek re-election as attorney general. Elected in 2018, James is in her first term.
The news comes after a report in the Washington Post that the attorney general’s office was seeking to question Trump under oath as part of the state’s civil fraud investigation of his namesake business. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Cuomo’s lawyer Rita Galvin had called on James to recuse herself from any decision regarding the allegations against her client, saying James’ gubernatorial campaign created a conflict of interest.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford; editing by Susan Heavey and Alistair Bell)
