As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces increasing allegations of sexual misconduct by two female assistants, a video has appeared on social media showing the Democratic governor dubiously pushing a female reporter to get a whole hot dog in front of him to eat.
The video shows the Democratic governor challenging at the 2016 New York State Fair and challenging NewsChannel 9 Beth Cefalu to eat a whole Gianelli sausage sandwich.
“I want to see you eat the whole sausage,” Cuomo can hear Cefalu tell as his daughter Michaela sits quietly next to him. A former Cuomo Cefalu assistant can be seen handing over a sandwich.
“I do not know if I should eat the whole sausage in front of you, but I will definitely eat it,” Cefalu replied.
Cuomo invites Cefalu to sit at his table. Before eating, Cefalu takes a selfie with the governor as she stops her food.
“There’s too much sausage in the picture,” Cuomo said, making others laugh at the table.
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Fox News reached out to the governor’s office to comment on the video. The more than four-year-old interaction provides feed to critics who say the latest allegations against Cuomo follow a years-long pattern of the governor making inappropriate comments.
Cuomo on Sunday acknowledged for the first time that some of his behavior with women was ‘misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation’ and said he would cooperate in an investigation into sexual harassment led by the state’s attorney general.
In a statement released amid growing criticism within his own party, Cuomo claims he has never touched or proposed anyone improperly. But he said he teased people and made jokes about their personal lives in an attempt to be ‘playful’.
“I now understand that my interaction was insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended to. I admit that some of the things I said “I’m really misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.” To the extent that someone felt that way, I’m really sorry about that, “he said.
Charlotte Bennett, a low assistant in the governor’s administration until November, told The New York Times Cuomo asked inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she had ever had sex with older men, and made other comments she interpreted as to her interest in a relationship.
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Her accusation comes days after another former assistant, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, elaborated on the harassment she first made in December. Boylan said Cuomo subjected her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate remarks about her appearance.
Cuomo, 63, said in a brief statement Saturday that he intended to be a mentor to Bennett, 25. He denied Boylan’s allegations.
Associated Press contributed to this report.