NEW YORK – A second former employee of powerful New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has accused him of sexual harassment, charges that he denied yesterday.
This time, the allegations come from 25-year-old former health adviser Charlotte Bennett, who told The New York Times that the governor sexually harassed her in the spring last year.
According to Bennett, the 63-year-old politician in June said he was open to dating women in their 20s, and asked her if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, reported NYT.
While Cuomo never tried to touch her, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared”, she told the paper.
She added that she spoke to Cuomo’s chief of staff and legal counsel, who transferred her to another post in another building. Bennett was happy with the new job and decided to not insist on an investigation.
Cuomo became a national star last spring with his straight-talking, yet empathetic, coronavirus briefings that contrasted sharply with then president Donald Trump’s dismissive approach to the pandemic.
But, the harassment claims come as he faces a growing storm over his handling of Covid-19 in nursing homes in his state.
In a statement yesterday, Cuomo said he “never made advances towards Ms Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate”.
He said he wants, instead, to support Bennett, who told him that she is a sexual assault survivor.
The governor, whose third term expires at the end of next year, called for “a full and thorough outside review” of these charges, led by a former federal judge.
“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review, so that they know the facts before making any judgments.”
This is the second time in a week that the Democratic governor, who has led the state for 10 years, has been accused of sexual harassment.
On Wednesday, another ex-adviser, Lindsey Boylan, in a blog said he harassed her when she was working for his administration from 2015 to 2018.
Boylan, 36, alleged that the governor gave her an unsolicited kiss on the lips, suggested that she play strip poker with him, and went “out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs”.
“For those wondering what it’s like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan’s story,” she said in a retweet of Boylan’s post.
Cuomo’s office in a statement said Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behaviour are quite simply false”.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday joined a growing chorus of politicians calling for an investigation into the allegations against Cuomo. – AFP, February 28, 2021
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