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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday denied allegations he touched a woman inappropriately, calling a new accuser’s account “heartbreaking.”
The Times Union of Albany reported on Tuesday that a sixth woman had made allegations of inappropriate behavior against Cuomo, accusing him of touching her without her consent at the governor’s mansion.
Wednesday’s newspaper reported allegations that Cuomo reached under the employee’s blouse and stroked her. The newspaper cited an anonymous source.
“Like I said yesterday, I’ve never done anything like this,” Cuomo said in a statement to NBC News.
“The details of this report are heartbreaking,” he said. “I will not go into the details of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the outcome of the Attorney General’s report.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James has appointed two attorneys, including a former acting U.S. attorney, to conduct an independent investigation.
The Times Union reported that the woman had not filed a formal complaint with the governor’s office.
The newspaper reports that his allegations were reported to the governor’s council by other employees of the executive chamber and that the information was also passed by the governor’s office to the attorney general’s office.
On March 3, staff members watched a press conference in which Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately, and when the employee got angry, a supervisor came to her aid and the member staff later told her what she claimed to have happened, according to the Times Union.
The woman is the sixth to accuse Cuomo of inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment. Not all the women accused him of touching them.
Cuomo denied touching anyone inappropriately, but admitted he acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. He said it was unintentional and apologized.
Despite calls to quit, Cuomo said he would not resign.
On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, also a Democrat, called on him to step down. And on Monday, lawmakers in the Republican states, which are in the minority, tabled a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings.
NBC News has not verified the account of the sixth accuser whose claims were reported by The Times Union.
The woman in this case was reportedly summoned to the governor’s mansion to help her resolve a minor technical issue involving her cell phone.
A person described as having been briefed on the matter told the newspaper that the woman told Cuomo to stop and that the broader allegations included that Cuomo frequently engaged in naughty behavior with her.
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