Andrew Cuomo denies allegations of sexual harassment by former assistant



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Lindsey Boylan alleged that in 2018, the Democratic governor kissed her on the lips following a one-on-one briefing in her New York office.

“As I got up to leave and walk towards an open door, he walked up in front of me and kissed me on the lips,” Boylan wrote, describing the encounter. “I was in shock, but kept walking.” Boylan first accused the governor of sexual harassment in a Twitter thread in December.

“As we have said before, the allegations of inappropriate behavior by Ms. Boylan are simply false,” Caitlin Girouard, the governor’s press secretary, said on Wednesday.

In that same statement, the office also issued a denial from four current and former staff members about a specific interaction on a flight in which Boylan says the governor suggested playing strip poker. The four staff, who flew with Cuomo and Boylan, said this never happened.

Cuomo also strongly denied the allegations at a press conference in December when Boylan first made them.

Cuomo's national star threatened by increased oversight of nursing home death management

CNN was unable to corroborate the claims, and when asked for further comment, Boylan responded that she was letting her post on Medium speak for itself.

The post, however, sparked another round of bad headlines for the Cuomo administration.

New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, released a statement Wednesday calling the charge “disturbing.”

“This is deeply disturbing. It is clear that there is no place for this type of behavior in the workplace or elsewhere,” wrote Stewart-Cousins.

Cuomo, who enjoyed sky-high popularity and national recognition for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, now faces mounting criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in his state. concerning the management by its administration of data on deaths in retirement homes. CNN reported that he had pleaded with lawmakers for their support and was even accused of threatening political retaliation against Democrats who criticized him in an aggressive effort to contain the political fallout from the revelations.
CNN also reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, along with the FBI, was reviewing the processing of some of the data regarding Covid-19 deaths in long-term care facilities in New York City. The investigation has been described as preliminary and it is not clear whether the authorities are looking at the governor himself or members of his administration.

Boylan is currently running for president of the Manhattan borough. She unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler in a Democratic primary in 2020.

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