New York AG Says Private Investigation Substantiates Sexual Harassment Claims Against Chief of Staff

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks in New York City on Sept. 21, 2022. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Dec. 7 said that the sexual harassment allegations made against her former chief of staff were substantiated.

The Democrat’s chief of staff, Ibrahim Khan, stepped down from his role earlier this month following an investigation into at least two sexual harassment claims made against him.

The longtime political adviser to James was accused of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing by at least one woman, according to The New York Times.

James hired a law firm to investigate the claims two days later, according to her office.

“First and foremost, I thank the women who came forward, and I want to assure them that they were heard and that I believe them,” the AG said in a statement on Wednesday.

“My office treated this matter as aggressively as every other matter that has come before our office. Within 24 hours, our office took disciplinary action and put Ibrahim Khan under restrictions, and within 72 hours, we engaged an outside law firm that began an impartial and exhaustive review of the allegations,” James said.

Khan graduated from the University at Albany, New York, and began working as a spokesman for James’s successful campaign for New York City public advocate before stepping into the role of her chief of staff in 2019, according to the University at Albany Magazine.

Prior to working with James, Khan also worked as a legislative director for Assemblyman Phil Ramos and on Hillary Clinton’s 2007 presidential campaign.

Republicans Call for Probe Into James

Khan had told The New York Times in a statement on Dec. 2 that he was planning to leave his role as chief of staff on Dec. 31 when Jame’s first term ends.

However, James confirmed on Wednesday, Dec. 7, that Khan had now resigned from his role.

“Mr. Khan resigned while the process was still ongoing. When the process concluded, my office spoke with each individual and informed them that the allegations were substantiated. I am confident in the steps that were taken to swiftly review the allegations and in the integrity of the investigation,” James said.

James, who oversaw a 2021 sexual harassment inquiry into then-New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, was reelected last month to serve another four years as New York’s attorney general.

Republican lawmakers in New York have called for an investigation into James after reports emerged that she may allegedly have known about the sexual harassment complaints against Khan but chose not to go public with them until after she was reelected.

“The State Assembly Judiciary Committee must convene a formal investigation at once into what Attorney General James knew, when she knew it and why that information was withheld,” State Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, a Republican, wrote on Twitter on Dec. 6

GOP State Sen. Tom O’Mara also tweeted: “There must be an immediate, independent investigation about what she knew about these allegations, when she knew it, and if they were properly addressed.”

James on Wednesday told The New York Post that she was “protecting the rights” of the alleged victims by not going public with the investigation and insisted that the decision was “by no means” related to her bid for a second term in office.

“We’re protecting the rights of individuals and it’s important to understand this was a private investigation, which is separate and apart from the investigation we did into the former governor — which was a governmental investigation and a lawful investigation pursuant to a referral,” James said.

The Epoch Times has contacted James’s office for comment.