ALBANY, NY (AP) – New York Government Assistant Andrew Cuomo says he touched her in the governors’ residence, a newspaper reported Wednesday in the most serious allegation yet made by a series of women against the stooped Democrat.
The Times Union of Albany reports that the woman, who does not mention it, was alone with Cuomo late last year when he closed the door, tucked it under her shirt and loved her. The report in the newspaper is based on an unidentified source with direct knowledge of the woman’s accusation. The governor summoned her to the Executive Mansion in Albany and said he needed help with his cellphone, the newspaper reported.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Cuomo was quoted as saying by a spokesman on Wednesday night.
“The details of this report are shaky,” Cuomo said.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said in a statement Wednesday night that the alleged victim had not filed a criminal complaint with the Albany Police Department.
The three-term governor faces harassment from several other women and increasingly urgent appeals for his resignation or accusation from at least some fellow Democrats. Cuomo has repeatedly said he will not resign.
“He has openly said he will not resign. And with further increasing allegations that are deeply credible, we are now in a position where I think we should be prosecuted, ‘said House member Jessica González-Rojas, a Democrat, who had earlier demanded his resignation. , said.
The woman whose report was reported by the Times Union said Cuomo touched her and made flirtatious comments on several occasions. According to the newspaper, her allegations came to light when Cuomo staff members watched the governor’s news conference on March 3, his first after a new round of claims about sexual harassment made in late February.
In it, he denied ever touching a woman inappropriately. The assistant then became emotional and a female supervisor who approached her told of her encounters with the governor. At least one supervisor reported the allegation to a lawyer in the governor’s office on Monday, the newspaper reported.
Ahead of Wednesday’s report, allegations against Cuomo include a combination of allegations that he made the workplace an uncomfortable place for young women, ranging from flirtatious comments to a non-consensual kiss.
At least five defendants – Charlotte Bennett, Lindsey Boylan, Ana Liss, Karen Hinton and the youngest accused – 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 Wednesday night that the latest allegations “grimly match” the former assistant’s own story.
Bennett, 25, said she was called to the Capitol for a weekend and left alone with Cuomo, who asked her for help with his cellphone. She said Cuomo asked about her sex life and asked if she would be open to a relationship with an older man. Bennett did not allege that Cuomo tried to touch her.
“The governor’s sexual harassment, which Charlotte Bennett reported, was buried by his assistants and never properly investigated,” Katz’s statement read. “Because of their involvement, another young woman was left in the lurch.”
Cuomo denied that he had touched anyone improperly, but said he was sorry if he made someone uncomfortable and did not intend to do so.
State Attorney General Letitia James has put together an investigation team to investigate Cuomo’s workplace behavior. The governor called on lawmakers and the public to await the outcome of the investigation. Federal investigators are also investigating how his administration handled data regarding COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes.
Cuomo has been under fire for weeks, beginning with revelations that his government has withheld the public from information about the pandemic’s death toll among residents in state nursing homes. The investigation into the governor – who received awards during the height of the coronavirus leadership pandemic that led to a book deal and called for a national political career – increased when former adviser Boylan, 36, repeated the harassment remarks in December has and it in a late February blog post.
It was unclear how much the latest allegation would further undermine Cuomo’s support in the legislature. While several lawmakers from both parties have appealed for Cuomo’s resignation or accusation, most have indicated they will wait for the conclusion of sin.
The member of the assembly, Pat Fahy, who joined a group of female lawmakers and urged New York to wait until the investigation into Cuomo’s verdict is delivered, said she is now ‘torn’ and plans to decide in the morning whether she will appeal to him to resign.
“I do not think he is going to resign,” the Democrat said. “But if it’s all true, if the investigation turns out to be credible, it’s true, it has merit. I can not see how he can not.”
Others who had earlier called for Cuomo’s accusation reiterated their calls for him to leave.
‘How can we allow this man to lead our state? We have to make a statement, “Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Assembly, tweeted on Wednesday night.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler called Cuomo “a sexual predator” on Twitter to be charged.
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Sen reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press author Michael Hill contributed to this Albany report.