New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces another sexual harassment allegation — this time from a woman who said she was touched inappropriately at the governor’s mansion in 2020, The Albany Times Union reports.
- Cuomo said Tuesday that he was not aware of the report, according to Fox News.
- “As I said last week, this is very simple, I never touched anyone inappropriately,” he said. ”As I said last week, I never made any inappropriate advances.”
The Albany Times Union reports that the accuser — whose name was not revealed — “could not be reached for comment.” However, she reportedly works as a staffer at the governor’s Executive Chamber in New York.
Other allegations
Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment by five other women, as I wrote about for the Deseret News.
- Anna Ruch, 33, told The New York Times Cuomo asked to kiss her at a wedding in 2019.
- Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official, said Cuomo harassed her on separate occasions from 2015 to 2018.
- Charlotte Bennett, one of Cuomo’s former aides, said Cuomo asked her “whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men.”
- Karen Hinton, a former aide, said Cuomo asked her to visit his “dimly lit” hotel room in 2000, per The Washington Post. She visited the room and he tried to “embrace” her. She pulled away.
- Ana Liss, a former aide, said she was asked several times from 2013 to 2015 if she had a boyfriend, according to The Wall Street Journal. She said the governor touched her lower back several times and called her “sweetheart.”
What’s next?
Cuomo said the public should wait to see the results of an investigation by the state attorney general’s office. Per The New York Times, the move to wait for results of an investigation could “be a play for time.”
- Cuomo has previously asked people “to wait for the facts” as an inquiry begins into the harassment claims. The review could take several months, according to The New York Times.
This would mean that “if Mr. Cuomo seeks a fourth term next year, potential challengers may have less time to prepare campaigns,” per The New York Times.