The impeachment investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo and his administration is officially underway, but lawmakers are in no rush.

On Tuesday, Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine warned the public that “given the breadth and seriousness of the issues under investigation,” the investigation will most likely take “months, rather than weeks.”

Assemblyman Lavine laid out the broad scope of what this investigation will examine, including whether the governor misrepresented nursing home data, sexually harassed or assaulted female employees, and whether his staff withheld safety information about state bridges. 

"Due process is not just a preset. It is not just at the heart of what makes us New Yorkers tick. It's at the heart of our American democracy as well,” Assemblyman Lavine said. 

The Assembly Judiciary Committee members met with the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell for the first time and questioned lawyers for around 90 minutes. Many of the concerns raised were centered around potential conflicts of interest. 

The law firm has close ties to Governor Andrew Cuomo. Dennis Glazer, a former partner of over 30 years, is married to Chief Judge Janet DiFiore who is a Cuomo appointee and ally. If Cuomo were to be impeached, Chief Judge DiFiore would be presiding over the impeachment trial in the State Senate. Cuomo also originally tried to appoint Judge DiFiore to investigate the sexual harassment allegations against him instead of having the attorney general take the lead. 

Lawyers repeatedly tried to assure members that there was no conflict of interest and said they followed a “very robust process” within the firm. 

“We do a search throughout the firm and through our management committee to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest that would either as a matter of ethics or appearance create an issue,” Angela Burgess, one of the lawyers with Davis Polk, explained. “We embarked on that process here and concluded that there was no conflict.”

However, there are now several Cuomo accusers that feel the integrity of the impeachment investigation has been compromised. Lindsey Boylan on Twitter expressed her distrust in the process and called it a “sham.” 

And Charlotte Bennett’s attorney, Debra Katz, said while they will participate with the investigation they do so “with a great deal of trepidation.”

Assemblyman David Weprin asked lawyers what happens if a witness refuses to speak with investigators. 

“You know, hopefully we won’t have to cross that bridge,” Martine Beamon, a lawyer for Davis Polk said. “We’re very hopeful that all the witnesses will agree to speak to us in the first instance. And we’re willing to work with their counsel and proceed in any way they feel most comfortable.”

As part of an effort to increase transparency, lawmakers also asked to receive weekly updates from the law firm and they will be setting up a hotline for tips. 

At this point, there is no deadline for when documents or witness testimony need to be submitted. 

“In terms of deadlines, we’ll work with as much speed as we can with the understanding that we’ll be thorough and fair in gathering those documents,” Greg Andres, a lawyer for Davis Polk, who also worked on the Mueller probe into the Trump administration said. “So the short answer is there won’t be a particular deadline necessarily but we’ll try to get those documents as quickly as possible.”