The war of words between Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. escalated Wednesday, with a letter from Cuomo’s counsel, Alphonso David, that hammered home the reasons why Cuomo asked the attorney general’s office to look into Vance’s handling of the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations in the first place.

David wrote to reject Vance’s argument—which the district attorney stated in a letter sent late Tuesday—that Cuomo overstepped his bounds in pulling his investigation into allegations of violence leveled against Eric Schneiderman, who resigned as state attorney general Monday night.