Cy Vance faced widespread criticism last year for allegedly mishandling criminal complaints of sexual abuse against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. | AP Photo Vance attacks Cuomo over appointment of special prosecutor

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance publicly chastised Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night after the governor appointed a special prosecutor to investigate former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, following accusations that Schneiderman physically abused at least four women.

Vance, who said Monday night he planned to investigate Schneiderman, faced widespread criticism last year for allegedly mishandling criminal complaints of sexual abuse against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. In March, Cuomo ordered Schneiderman to investigate how the case was handled by the DA.


In a strongly worded letter sent to Cuomo’s office and distributed to reporters Tuesday night, Vance suggested that decision was politically motivated — a reaction to actor Cynthia Nixon’s announcement of her plans to run against Cuomo in a primary election for governor — and questioned the legality of Cuomo appointing a special prosecutor in the Schneiderman probe.

"As I made clear to your office at the time, this review is an unwarranted intrusion by an elected executive into a charging decision by an independent prosecutor," Vance wrote Tuesday. "The action, occurring on the very day your primary opponent announced her campaign for Governor, was viewed by some as politically motivated. I have no idea whether or not that is true. But more important, and beyond politics, it violated the separation of powers that is intended to promote confidence in the independence of our criminal justice system.”

Vance also suggested Cuomo’s attempts to guide investigations into his office, and now into Schneiderman’s conduct, smacked of executive interference, comparing Cuomo to President Donald Trump.

“Charging and jurisdictional decision making should be left to independent prosecutors who are answerable to their local constituents. Interference with law enforcement investigations by an elected chief executive should always be viewed with great care, especially these days, given the propensity of our elected executive at the federal level in Washington to make statements and take actions that jeopardize the independence of our criminal justice system.”

The extraordinary letter came after Cuomo announced late Tuesday he was appointing Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas to investigate physical abuse claims made against Schneiderman in a New Yorker article published Monday. The announcement came after both Vance and Suffolk County D.A. Tim Sini had declared they would investigate the claims.

Cuomo said Tuesday that Vance shouldn’t investigate because it would create a conflict of interest.

“There is a complication with the district attorney of Manhattan, Cy Vance," Cuomo said. "I had appointed the attorney general to investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s handling of a sexual harassment case against Harvey Weinstein. So that is a potential complication.”

Alphonso David, counsel to the governor, issued a statement late Tuesday night saying Vance's comments were inappropriate.

"Confronted with the reality of a conflict, we took action to ensure both the integrity of the investigation and the public's confidence in the process. In doing so, we put in place an elected official and independent prosecutor who could preside over the investigation without the specter of conflict or compromise," David said. "I view the District Attorney's editorial commentary as both inappropriate and misguided given the ongoing investigations."