- The curse report that forced the resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo detailed the “credible” allegations of sexual harassment by 11 women.
- Here are some of the most serious allegations, what they had to say and how he responded.
- A soldier in the governor’s protection details claimed that Cuomo once put his finger on her back and said, “Hey, you.”
The condemning report issued by the New York Attorney General forced Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign, detailing the “credible” allegations of sexual harassment by 11 women. What did they say, and how did he respond?
The following are some of the most serious allegations.
Comiso was called “Administrative Assistant No. 1” in the Attorney General’s report. He claimed that Cuomo grabbed her behind when they took a photo, reached under her shirt and grabbed her chest, touching her improperly Up her.
In a video response to the attorney general’s report, Cuomo mentioned Comiso’s complaint and pointed out that one of the charges against him came from a woman who claimed he was groping her in the family office.
He says:
Let me be clear. It never happened.
The attorney general’s report also stated that Cuomo denied ever grabbing Comiso’s back or her breasts, and quoted him as saying: “I must lose my mind to do such a thing.”
A soldier in the governor’s protection details claimed that Cuomo once put his finger on her back and said: “Hey, you.” Another time, he put his hand on her belly, “On my chest and mine. Between the private parts”.
He said in his resignation statement: “I don’t remember doing it, but if she says I did it, I believe her.”
He said he did not do this “consciously”.
He says:
I don’t mean anything sexually suggestive. I don’t mean any intimacy. I just didn’t expect it.
“But it is also insensitive. It embarrassed her, it is disrespectful… I want to personally apologize to her and her family.”
The Attorney General’s report summarized Cuomo’s interactions with Bennett, another administrative assistant, saying that he asked her “her preference for romance or sexual relationships, her history as a survivor of sexual assault, and his own romantic relationship status. And preferences”.
It said she described a conversation with Cuomo about her being sexually assaulted as “like a horror movie.”
Investigators said Cuomo denied “some but not all” allegations.
In his video response, Cuomo resolved Bennett’s complaint, calling it “the one that annoys me the most.”
He said that her story of surviving the sexual assault “resonates with me” because one of his relatives was also attacked.
He said he was working hard to help her and added:
I think I have learned enough and have enough personal experience to help. But I was wrong.
Then he said directly to her: “Charlotte, I want you to know that I’m really sorry.”
The governor’s special adviser Boylan detailed several of his comments, which she called “creepy”, including the governor’s suggestion to them to play striptease and saying that if he were a dog, he would “ridden too” you”.
She also described him touching her waist, legs and back. After he touched her back, she said: “I know when I was touched in a strange way.”
She said he had kissed her lips and described his treatment of her as “deep humiliation.”
The report stated that most of the allegations were “essentially uncontroversial.”
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