New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing pressure from both sides of the aisle following allegations of sexual harassment against him by two former assistants.
The Democrat has been the target of criticism from Republicans such as Representative Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., as well as members of his own party at the state, local, and federal levels over the past few days.
CUOMO SAY HE WAS ‘PLAYFUL’, BUT ACKNOWLEDGE THEY CAN BE UNSENSITIVE ‘IN THE MIDDLE OF SEXUAL TESTIMONY CLAIMS
“Cuomo’s government is a criminal sexual predator and he must resign immediately,” Stefanik said in a statement in response to a New York Times report in which he recounted the allegations made by former Cuomo adviser Charlotte Bennett.
According to the Times, Bennett said Cuomo asked her questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and whether she had ever had sex with older men.
The 25-year-old staff member described to the Times an incident that took place in June when she was ‘alone’ with the 63-year-old governor in his State Capital office. According to the report, he allegedly asked her if she thought age was making a difference in romantic relationships and that he was open to relationships with women in their twenties, which was noted by the Times as ‘comments she made as clear revelations for’ a sexual interpreted ‘relationship. “
In response to the allegations, Cuomo told the Times that he “never made progress toward Ms. Bennett, nor did he intend to act inappropriately in any way.”
Bennett’s allegations follow the demands of former Cuomo staffer Lindsey Boylan, who accused the governor of ‘going out of his way to touch me on my low back, arms and legs’, and kissed her while they were alone in his office, suggesting that they “play strip poker” during a plane ride.
Cuomo’s office denied Boylan’s harassment charges, calling them “merely false” and insisting the comments “did not happen”.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who has often clashed with Cuomo, called for an independent inquiry into the governor after Boylan made her allegations.
“If a woman comes forward with these kinds of very specific allegations, we need to take them seriously,” de Blasio said. “We need a full and independent investigation.”
Following Bennett’s allegations, de Blasio issued a new statement on Sunday calling for an inquiry “led by someone completely independent of the governor.”
New York Democratic Assemblywoman Ron Kim shared de Blasio’s statement on Twitter, suggesting the governor would retire sooner.
“Or … Cuomo can resign tonight,” Kim said. “Not tomorrow. Tonight.”
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, another Democrat, also called for Cuomo to resign.
“As a New Yorker, a legislator, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance, and a survivor of sexual abuse, I call on Governor Cuomo to resign,” Biaggi tweeted on Saturday.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., joins the calls for an investigation into Bennett’s allegations. In an email to Fox News, Gillibrand called the allegations “serious and deeply worrying”.
Cuomo said in a statement on Sunday that he liked to ‘make jokes that I think are funny’ at work, and ‘teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, getting married or not getting married’. The governor claimed that he did not want to offend anyone, but acknowledged that he now ‘saw that my interaction was insensitive or too personal and that some of my remarks, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. ‘
“I admit that some of the things I said were misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” Cuomo continued. “To the extent that someone felt that way, I’m really sorry about that.”
CUOMO PROCEEDS TO REQUEST LAWYER INVESTIGATE GENERAL LETITIA JAMES CONTROL
Cuomo agreed to be subject to an investigation, but this led to controversy when he appointed former federal judge Barbara Jones for the investigation. Jones was a former colleague of Steve Cohen, former Cuomo assistant. Following criticism of this choice, Cuomo’s office announced that Chief Justice Janet DiFiore would be selected to work with New York Attorney General Letitia James as an independent attorney for the investigation.
James rejected the plan.
“The state’s executive law clearly gives my office the power to investigate this matter as soon as the governor gives a referral,” James said in a statement. “Although I have deep respect for Chief Justice DiFiore, I am the duly elected Attorney General and it is my responsibility to carry out this task in accordance with Executive Law.”
Cuomo finally agreed to this.
“The governor’s office wants a thorough and independent review that is above reproach and out of political interference,” Cuomo’s special adviser Beth Garvey said in a statement. “Therefore, the Attorney General’s Office asked Attorney General Tish James to select a qualified private lawyer to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment.”
The harassment scandal only adds to the pressure Cuomo has already faced due to his nursing home scandal. The governor was heavily criticized for his decision in March 2020 to order nursing homes to admit residents who tested positive for coronavirus, and his administration then withheld data on the number of nursing home residents who died from the pandemic.
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Cuomo insists that his order – which was revoked in May – did not cause the thousands of deaths in the nursing home, and that it was infected staff who brought the virus to the facilities. He also claims that he did not hide statistics from lawmakers in the state, but only stopped his office’s response to their query to deal with a federal request. Cuomo also stated that his office had informed state assemblies and senators.
Government officials like Kim and Biaggi have disputed this and denied ever hearing it from the administration.
Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche, Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Dom Calicchio contributed to this report.