New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing another allegation of sexual harassment, this time of a woman currently working in his office. Alyssa McGrath, a 33-year-old executive assistant, told The New York Times that Cuomo stared at her body improperly and commented on her appearance.
Her lawyer, Mariann Wang, confirmed McGrath gave the report to the Times.
McGrath, who does not work directly for Cuomo, said the interaction began shortly after his mid-2018 appointment. The following year, she was with Cuomo in his office when he allegedly made a remark to her in Italian. Later, she asked her parents what the phrase meant.
“It commented on how beautiful I was,” she told the publication.
In another meeting in his office, McGrath claims that Cuomo looked down at her shirt and then asked for her necklace. “I put my head down and waited for him to start talking, and he didn’t start talking,” she said. ‘Then I looked up to see what was going on. And he looks blatantly down at my shirt. ‘
McGrath also said Cuomo kissed her on the forehead during the Christmas party at the office in 2019 and called her and a colleague ‘mingle mamas’ after asking the colleague about her romantic life.
“He has a way of making you feel very comfortable around him, almost like you’re his friend,” McGrath told the Times. “But then you walk away from the meeting or conversation while you go, ‘I can not believe I just had that interaction with the governor of New York. ‘
Cuomo is pressure to resign after several women came forward with allegations against him. Cuomo denied the calls for his resignation, denying that he sexually harassed anyone. However, he apologized for comments he made that could make women uncomfortable.
“I never intended to offend or hurt anyone or hurt anyone. I feel terrible that these people feel uncomfortable, hurt, experience pain through the interactions, and I’m ashamed of it, and I feel bad about it, “he said.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
His lawyer, Rita Glavin, issued a statement to the Times, saying: “The governor greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like ‘ciao bella’. “
“None of this is noticeable, although it may be old-fashioned. He made it clear that he has never made inappropriate progress or affected anyone inappropriately.”
McGrath’s lawyer told CBS News: “The governor’s distraction is not credible. It was not just friendly jokes.”