The law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell will lead the New York state Assembly impeachment investigation into misconduct allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the third-term executive tries to stay in office.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, named the international law firm Wednesday, just under a week after he authorized the chamber's judiciary committee to move forward with the impeachment inquiry.

The Cuomo administration remains engulfed in controversy as Cuomo seeks to ride out not only a sexual harassment scandal, but also a firestorm of criticism over his administration's handling of coronavirus nursing home death figures.

Even as his political support steadily eroded in recent weeks, Cuomo has remained defiant and rebuffed calls to resign.

The law firm is now tasked with conducting one of the most direct threats to Cuomo's power: An investigation that could produce findings that bring about the end of his 10-year tenure as governor.

Yet, the firm's announcement quickly drew criticism from an attorney representing Charlotte Bennett, a former Cuomo aide who has accused him of sexual harassment.

Dennis Glazer, who worked at the firm for more than three decades, is the husband of Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and was appointed by Cuomo to serve as chair of the SUNY Purchase College Council.

"This is an unacceptable conflict of interest," said Debra Katz, who is representing Bennett, referencing Glazer's history with the firm. "The impeachment investigation must operate free of political influence and must be transparent, detailing for the public the steps being taken to protect the integrity of their impeachment investigation."

Bennett met with investigators for more than four hours this week in a separate inquiry overseen by the state attorney general's office on the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.

Bennett is committed to working with government inquiries, but Davis Polk's involvement "gives her pause," Katz said.

"I suspect it will have the same effect on other women who were sexually harassed by the governor," the attorney said in a statement.

DiFiore, a Cuomo appointee, has been seen as a political ally of the governor. The state's top judge, along with other members of the Court of Appeals and members of the state Senate, would sit on an impeachment court that could force him from office following an impeachment in the state Assembly.

A state court spokesman issued a statement saying Davis Polk has many clients and DiFiore was not involved in it being selected for the impeachment investigation.

Davis Polk is expected to work with the Assembly judiciary committee and committee chair Charles Lavine, D-Nassau.

Expressing support for the impeachment investigation, Heastie argued that bringing in Davis Polk would give the committee independence and resources.

The Davis Polk team will include Angela Burgess, Greg Andres and Martine Beamon, according to the speaker's office.

Beamon became a partner at the law firm in 2004 and spent several years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Her work has included representing companies and people tied to claims of sexual misconduct, foreign corrupt practices, criminal tax violations and securities fraud, according to her biography.

Burgess, who started at the law firm in 1995 and became a partner in 2002, is co-chair of the white-collar defense and investigations group at the firm, according to her biography.

Andres served as a member of former special counsel Robert Mueller's team in the Russia investigation and was lead trial lawyer in the prosecution of Paul Manafort, according to the attorney's biography.

Andres, who has spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, focuses on complex civil litigation and white-collar defense.

A host of state lawmakers are calling for Cuomo to step down, along with most of the Democrats in New York's congressional delegation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand added their names to that chorus March 12, saying Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners.

Despite the pressure on Cuomo, Democrats in the state Assembly have yet to signal when there may be an impeachment vote.

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