ALBANY, NY (AP) – An assistant to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he groped her in the governor’s residence, a newspaper reported Wednesday, in the most serious allegation to date by a string of women against the controversial Democrat .
The Times Union of Albany reported that the woman, who didn’t mention it, was alone with Cuomo late last year when he closed the door, reached under her shirt, and caressed her. The newspaper’s coverage is based on an unknown source with direct knowledge of the woman’s accusation. The governor had called her to the Executive Mansion in Albany and said he needed help with his cell phone, the paper reported.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” said Cuomo through a spokesman on Wednesday evening.
“The details of this report are heartbreaking,” Cuomo said, adding that he would not go into the details of this or any other allegation, given an ongoing investigation overseen by the Attorney General.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said in a statement Wednesday evening that the alleged victim had not filed a criminal complaint with Albany police.
The three-year-old governor has been accused of harassing several other women and increasingly calls for his resignation or deposition of at least some fellow Democrats. Cuomo has said repeatedly that he will not resign.
He has said openly that he will not resign. And with more and more allegations that are very credible, we are now in a position where I think we should impeach, ”said Representative Jessica González-Rojas, a Democrat who had previously pushed for his resignation.
The woman whose report was reported by the Times Union said Cuomo touched her several times and made flirty comments. According to the paper, her allegations came to light when Cuomo staffers watched the governor’s press conference on March 3, his first after a new string of sexual harassment claims in late February.
In it, he denied ever touching a woman inappropriately. The assistant then became emotional, telling a female supervisor who approached her about her meetings with the governor. At least one supervisor reported the allegation to a lawyer in the governor’s office on Monday, the paper reported.
Ahead of Wednesday’s report, the allegations against Cuomo contained a combination of claims that he had made the workplace an uncomfortable place for young women, ranging from flirty comments to an unconscious kiss.
At least five prosecutors – Charlotte Bennett, Lindsey Boylan, Ana Liss, Karen Hinton and the last prosecutor – worked for the governor in Albany or during his time in President Bill Clinton’s cabinet. Another, Anna Ruch, told The New York Times that she met Cuomo at a friend’s wedding.
Bennett’s attorney, Debra Katz, said in a statement released Wednesday evening that the latest allegations are “eerily similar” to the former assistant’s own story.
Bennett, 25, has said she was called to the Capitol on a weekend and was left alone with Cuomo, who asked her for help with his cellphone. She has said that Cuomo asked about her sex life and asked if she would be open to a relationship with an older man. Bennett did not claim that Cuomo was trying to touch her.
“The governor’s sexual harassment reported by Charlotte Bennett was buried by his aides and never properly investigated,” Katz said. “Because they were able, another young woman was endangered.”
Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately but said he was sorry if he made anyone feel uncomfortable and had no intention of doing so.
State Attorney General Letitia James has assembled an investigation team to investigate Cuomo’s behavior in the workplace. The governor has called on lawmakers and the public to await the results of that investigation. Federal investigators are also investigating how his administration handled data on COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes.
Cuomo has been under fire for weeks, starting with revelations that his government withheld details from the public about the pandemic’s death toll among residents of state nursing homes. The governor’s scrutiny – who received accolades during the height of the coronavirus pandemic for leadership that spawned a book deal and calls for a national political career – was intensified when former adviser Boylan, 36, echoed December’s bullying claims and worked them out in late February. blog post.
It was unclear to what extent the latest allegation would further erode Cuomo’s support in the legislature. While several state legislatures from both parties have called for Cuomo’s resignation or deposition, most had indicated they are waiting for the probe’s conclusion.
Assembly member Pat Fahy, who had joined a group of women lawmakers urging New York to wait for the investigation to pass judgment on Cuomo, said she is now “torn” and plans to to decide tomorrow morning if she will call him to resign.
“I don’t think he will resign,” said the Democrat. “But if this is all true, if the investigation comes out and says this is credible, these are true, these have merit, I don’t see how he can’t do that.”
Others who had previously called for Cuomo to be ousted reiterated their call to go.
How can we let this man run our state? We must impeach, ”Zohran Kwame Mamdani, member of the Democratic Assembly, tweeted Wednesday evening.
Republican member Mike Lawler on Twitter called Cuomo “a sexual predator” who should be charged.
Sen reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed to this Albany report.