A third woman has come forward to accuse Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate behavior, alleging that he asked to kiss her at a wedding. Rabeya Lima reports.
The accusation comes hours after New York attorney general Letitia James announced that Mr. Cuomo had authorized her to carry out an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by two other women.
Here’s a rundown of the allegations against Cuomo:
First accuser: Lindsey Boylan
Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s former deputy secretary of economic development and special adviser, wrote a 1,700-word post on the website Medium last week in which she said she was subjected to unwanted advances by Cuomo during her nearly two years working for the administration.
She said that on one occasion, the governor asked her if she wanted to play “strip poker” while they were traveling on a state-owned plane, and on another, he gave her an unwanted kiss on the lips as she was leaving his office.
Second accuser: Charlotte Bennett
Charlotte Bennett, 25, a former aide who left the Cuomo administration in November told The New York Times that Cuomo, 63, had made her uncomfortable with questions about her sex life, whether she would consider dating an older man and a comment that he would be willing to have a relationship “with anyone above the age of 22.”
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told The Times.
Third accuser: Anna Ruch
Thirty-three-year-old Ruch said Cuomo made an unwanted advance at a New York City wedding in September 2019, the first time she had met him.
She told The New York Times on Monday that Cuomo placed his hand on her lower back, which was exposed. She then removed his hand, she said, and Cuomo grabbed her face with both hands and asked if he could kiss her. She then pulled away.
The political fallout:
Mr. Cuomo became one of the nation’s most influential Democrats during the early days of the pandemic. Cuomo has indicated he might seek a fourth term as governor. But now, not only is his ability to win another term in question, but he also faces some calls from within his own party for his resignation or even impeachment.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that with his statement, “Sexual harassment is not funny”. The Republican state senate minority leader, Robert Ortt, has called on Cuomo to resign. The Democratic state senator Alessandra Biaggi tweeted of Cuomo: “It is time for you to go. Now.”
New York’s US senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and the congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are among Democrats who demanded an independent investigation.
