Third Former Andrew Cuomo Assistant Describes Inappropriate Workplace Treatment

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Liss said she initially viewed Cuomo’s behavior as harmless flirtations. Over time, she said, she saw that it was condescending, and she added that it reduced her from a trained professional to ‘just a dress’.

“It’s not really suitable in any case,” she said.

In answer to questions about me. Liss, Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, said on Saturday: ‘Reporters and photographers have been covering the governor for 14 years as he kisses men and women and suggests them for photos. At the public open-air mansion, there are hundreds of people, and he presents hundreds of photos. This is what people do in politics. ”

Mr. Cuomo said during his last public appearance on Wednesday that this behavior was customary for him.

‘I understand that sensitivity has changed and behavior has changed, and I understand that. And I will learn from it, ”he said.

Liss is the third former female assistant to Mr. Cuomo accused of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The two other former assistants said he sexually harassed them. Mr. Cuomo apologized for making people uncomfortable. He said he had never touched anyone improperly.

“It was unintentional, and I sincerely apologize for that,” he said Wednesday. “I feel terrible about it and honestly, I’m ashamed.”

Mrs. Liss and other current and former government officials said the governor frequently asked them about their meeting life, touched them and commented on their physical appearance. According to me. Liss and other former staff members told longtime staff members that some women should wear high heels when the governor was in Albany. Mr. Azzopardi said no one is required to wear high heels.

The Journal spoke to more than 30 officials who during his ten years as governor for Mr. Cuomo worked or worked there. All of these officials, including current and former agency chiefs, described a high-pressure environment where seven-day work weeks were common.

Several people described the work environment as toxic. Many former staff members recalled the governor’s actions more fondly. Once on Valentine’s Day, Mr Cuomo had roses delivered to the female employees, they said. Two women who received the flowers said they appreciated the gesture.

When asked about the criticism of working conditions, Mr. Azzopardi said: ‘The people of this state have elected the governor to represent them four times over the last 14 years, and they know he works for them day and night. It’s no secret that it’s hard work, and the work is demanding, but we have a top team with many employees who have been here for years, and many others who leave and return. ‘

One former assistant, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, recently said Mr. Cuomo asked about her sex life and whether she had relationships with older men.

Another former adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a February 24 media post that Cuomo tried to kiss her on the lips in his office and suggested during a flight in 2017 in his plane that they were playing strip poker. A Cuomo spokesman said Boylan’s allegations were false.

The governor is facing increasing pressure over the allegations, as well as how the state has handled Covid-19 in nursing homes. State Attorney General Letitia James oversees an investigation into the allegations by Mses. Bennett and Boylan. Federal prosecutors are interested in how the governor’s top advisers are trying to change a report from the Department of Health to include a lower number of deaths in the facilities, people familiar with the matter said.

Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats have called for Mr. Cuomo resigns or is accused, but senior Democratic lawmakers resist until James’ investigation is complete.

Me. Liss said she decided to come forward to Mses. Bennett and Boylan accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. Me. Liss said the governor’s response to their accusations was inadequate.

Me. Liss won a competitive partnership in 2013 and joined Cuomo’s team to work on economic development programs. She already had a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at a business development firm in Rochester. She said she was proud of her role in the Executive Chamber, but was upset that the governor never asked her about her work, but rather focused on personal questions or her appearance.

Me. Liss recalls that during a reception on May 6, 2014 at the Executive Mansion in Albany, Mr. Cuomo, was his official residence. Mr. Cuomo was in a living room on the north side of the mansion’s first floor and had me. Liss noted.

“He came to me and he was like, ‘Hey, honey! ” She said.

According to her, the governor hugged her, kissed her on both cheeks and then wrapped his arm around her lower back and grabbed her waist. They turn to a photographer who is taking a photo that Mr. Cuomo’s hand pointing around her waist.

In the Medium report, Ms Boylan describes a similar encounter with the governor during an event on January 6, 2016 in Madison Square Garden. She said Mr. Cuomo stopped talking to her after a speech, and she was soon told by her boss that the governor had delighted her.

“It was an uncomfortable but all too familiar feeling: the struggle to be taken seriously by a powerful man who tied my value to my body and my appearance,” she said. Boylan wrote.

Me. Liss said she never filed a formal complaint about the behavior of the governor or anyone else. She said she finally asked for relocation to another office.

Me. Liss said her experience in the governor prompted her in 2014 to start mental health counseling. She said she drank heavily that year, and she left the Executive Chamber in 2015 to take a position at Cornell University as a corporate relations manager. . Me. Liss now works as a director of the Department of Planning and Development in Monroe County, New York.

The Journal conducted an interview with two other Empire State associates who said they were Ms. Liss observed while drinking heavily and skipping social engagement when she worked for the governor.

Peter Walke, a fellow who now serves as commissioner for environmental conservation in Vermont, said in a recent interview that he notes that Ms. Liss has become more withdrawn over time.

Following the allegations by Mses. Boylan and Bennett, mr. Walke has me. Liss contacted. She passed on her own experiences to him, Walke said.

Me. Liss said she’s proud of the work she’s done during her time in Albany, and that she’s still taking the picture of herself and Mr. Cuomo kept in the office. She supports the policies he has put in place.

“I just wish – I wish he took me seriously,” she said.

—Leslie Brody and Jim Oberman contributed to this article.

Write to Jimmy Vielkind at [email protected], Deanna Paul at [email protected] and Khadeeja Safdar at [email protected]