NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WBEN) — The longtime chief of staff to New York Attorney General Letitia James has resigned amid an investigation into misconduct reportedly tied to at least two separate sexual harassment allegations.
Her office announced the departure of Ibrahim Khan in a statement to the New York Times, stating that it had "protocols in place to thoroughly investigate any allegation of misconduct."
"The office takes these matters with the utmost seriousness and this situation is no different," the statement continued. "An independent, impartial investigation was conducted, and the employee has since resigned."
Two of three sources told the outlet that the claims involved former employees of the office. At least one woman reportedly accused him of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing.
One source told the paper that multiple complaints were brought to the attorney general's office by a political consultant, not by the victims themselves.
According to the article, James ultimately decided to hire an independent law firm to investigate the allegations, although it was not immediately clear when the firm was hired or when James was made aware of the allegations.
One of the women who filed the complaint was reportedly told Friday that the allegation of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing had been corroborated.
Khan defended himself in a statement to the Times, saying he had always planned to step down on Dec. 31, at the end of James' first term in office.
"I've been slated to leave the office for the private sector at the end of this year," Khan said in the statement. "This is unrelated to an investigation which, nevertheless, found no official workplace misconduct," adding he "is proud of all we have achieved over these past four years in serving New Yorkers."
According to the report, his claims that the investigation found "no official workplace misconduct" were not immediately confirmed, and a spokesperson for James did not respond immediately to a request to corroborate it.
Khan began his career with James as a spokesman for her campaign for New York City public advocate in 2013 and then as her chief of staff after she took office.
The Times adds that in 2017, while James was acting as the city's public advocate, The New York Post reported that a former employee of the office accused Khan of drugging and sexually assaulting her at a holiday party.
The article, which no longer remains on the Post's website, also noted that the city's Department of Investigation and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office had investigated the matter and closed it.
That former employee could not be reached by the Times for comment.
He then remained with her last year as the 64-year-old Democrat's stature increased following her inquiry into then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which determined he harassed at least 11 women.
When she announced the findings, she condemned Cuomo, saying in a statement: "No man — no matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women."
Cuomo resigned from office days later. James was reelected last month.
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