According to a source, a female member of Governor Andrew Cuomo's (NY) staff became the sixth woman to accuse him of sexual assault; this new bombshell is threatening his political future.
According to the Albany Times Union, the woman told associates that Cuomo approached her inappropriately inside the governor's mansion late last year after she was called there on official business.
According to the Times Union, her claims hit a supervisor in the state Executive Chamber and were referred to Cuomo's counsel and the office of Attorney General Letitia James. On Monday, James announced the hiring of outside attorneys to investigate the mounting allegations of sexual harassment and other improper conduct. The three-term Democratic governor responded to the accusations, “As I said last week, I never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said. “No one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable. Obviously, there are people, after the fact.” He added, “You can allege something. Might be true. Might not be true. You might have misperceived.” Cuomo also refused to say whether he still planned to seek a fourth term next year, as he’s previously vowed. Cuomo also promised to cooperate with the investigation and advised New Yorkers to, “Wait for the facts before you form an opinion.”
Another abuse allegation surfaced recently, as well. Cuomo's former aide Charlotte Bennett, 25, hasn't accused him of kissing or touching her, but she said he asked her probing questions about her sex life after she went into his Albany office to take dictation and he ordered her to turn off the recorder in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell last week. “I thought, he’s trying to sleep with me. The governor’s trying to sleep with me and I’m deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible,” she said.
While several sexual harassment allegations are under investigation, Cuomo remains the focus of attention. Gov. Cuomo's top aide apologized to Democratic legislators for hiding the state's nursing home death toll from COVID-19. On the call, she said, "we froze" (because the true numbers would) "be used against us" by federal prosecutors. She added that the Cuomo administration had turned down a legislative request for an official Covid-19 case count in August because “right around the same time, [then-President Donald Trump] turned into a giant political football.”
As Cuomo is investigated for his several wrong-doings, his seat as Governor sits in the balance.
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