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Following in Cuomo’s footsteps: NY AG Letitia James’ chief-of-staff steps down amid sexual harassment allegations

December 3, 2022 | | Print Article

Ibrahim Khan, long considered to be one of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ closest advisers, has resigned from his position as chief-of-staff for the AG amid allegations of sexual harassment from at least two women, including one who accused Kahn of inappropriate touching and kissing.

“One woman who filed a complaint was told on Friday that her allegation of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing had been substantiated,” The New York Times reveals.

The news must have rocked James, who, in 2021, verbally skewered then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over similar accusations.

Once James’ investigators concluded that Cuomo had indeed sexually harassed several women over a seven-year span, James stated, “No man — no matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women.”

Her charge against the disgraced governor ultimately led to his resignation.

Now, James has been forced to hire a law firm to investigate the man who served by her side for nearly a decade, according to two sources “with knowledge of the matter.”

Kahn began working for James in 2013, as a spokesman during her bid for New York City public advocate. He became her chief-of-staff after she took office.

In a statement to The Times, Kahn dismissed the allegations against him and claimed he was going to leave office regardless.

“I’ve been slated to leave the office for the private sector at the end of this year,” the statement read. “This is unrelated to an investigation which, nevertheless, found no official workplace misconduct.”

As The Times notes, “Mr. Khan’s claim that the investigation found ‘no official workplace misconduct’ could not be corroborated immediately and a spokeswoman for Ms. James did not immediately respond to a request to confirm it.”

A spokeswoman for the AG’s office assured the outlet that it is taking the accusations seriously.

“The office of attorney general has protocols in place to thoroughly investigate any allegation of misconduct,” the spokeswoman said. “The office takes these matters with the utmost seriousness and this situation is no different. An independent, impartial investigation was conducted, and the employee has since resigned.”

According to a DailyMail.com source, while the allegations of misconduct only came to the attention of the attorney general’s office in recent weeks, the incidents at the root of the matter occurred more than a year ago.

Kahn’s accusers were not employed at the AG’s office at the time of the alleged harassment, the source stated, adding that the accusations reached James through a number of “political consultants” who passed the information along like a high-stakes game of “telephone.”

It was then that James tapped an outside law firm for an independent investigation, the “substantive portion” of which is already over, according to the insider.

Apparently, this isn’t the first time Kahn has been wrapped up in claims of sexual misconduct.

“Allegations of sexual impropriety by Mr. Khan have surfaced publicly before,” The Times reports. “In 2017, when Ms. James was the city’s public advocate and he was her chief of staff, The New York Post reported that a former employee of the office had accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her at a holiday party.”

New York City’s Department of Investigation and the Manhattan district attorney’s office looked into the matter and closed it, according to The Post.

Melissa Fine
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