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Congressional Democrats on Sunday called on the New York attorney general to investigate allegations of sexual harassment by a second woman against state Governor Andrew Cuomo while the head of the state’s ethics committee demanded his resignation.
Calls from several prominent Democrats came after Charlotte Bennett, Cuomo’s executive assistant and health policy adviser until November, told the New York Times on Saturday that he harassed her last spring, at most height of New York’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
She said he asked her inappropriate questions about her personal life, which she believed to be sexual overtures.
Earlier this week, another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, described numerous past incidents with Cuomo, including an alleged unsolicited kiss in her Manhattan office, in an online essay, following the first allegations that she made last December.
Cuomo denied all the allegations and on Sunday his office asked Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and Janet DiFiore, chief justice of the New York court of appeals, to choose an “independent lawyer and qualified in private practice without political affiliation ”. investigate.
James said on Twitter: “Allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously. There must be a truly independent investigation to fully examine these troubling allegations against the Governor, and I am prepared to oversee this investigation and make any necessary appointments.
NY AG James
(@NewYorkStateAG)Allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously.
There must be a truly independent investigation to fully examine these disturbing allegations against the Governor, and I am prepared to oversee this investigation and make the necessary appointments.
She added: “Given state law, this can only be accomplished on formal referral from the governor’s office and must include subpoena power. I urge the governor to make this referral immediately. “
The move came just hours after Congressional Democrats called on James to conduct the investigation.
It was a significant step up from Cuomo’s earlier position to ask a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, to lead an “external review.”
The review needs to be done “in a flawless manner,” Cuomo’s office said, adding that it wanted to avoid “even the perception of a lack of independence or interference from politics.”
James then rejected Cuomo’s proposal on Sunday that she and the judge appoint a lawyer, saying that as attorney general she should lead the investigation.
NY AG James
(@NewYorkStateAG)To clarify, I do not accept the governor’s proposal.
State executive law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral.
Mazie Hirono, Democratic Senator from Hawaii, said allegations of such “reprehensible and inexcusable behavior” by figures such as Cuomo needed to be explored.
“It seems to me that the New York attorney general would be the independent body to conduct such an investigation,” she told ABC’s This Week, adding that it took “a lot of courage” for women to come forward. .
New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said: “These allegations are serious and deeply concerning. As requested by Attorney General James, the case must be referred to her office so that she can conduct a transparent, independent and thorough investigation with subpoena power.
And New York Democrat MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that “Boylan and Bennett’s detailed accounts of Governor Cuomo’s sexual harassment are extremely serious and painful to read.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(@AOC)Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett’s detailed accounts of Governor Cuomo’s sexual harassment are extremely serious and painful to read.
There has to be an independent investigation – not by someone chosen by the governor, but by the attorney general’s office.
“There has to be an independent investigation – not by someone chosen by the governor, but by the attorney general’s office,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Alessandra Biaggi, the Democratic chair of the State Senate Ethics and Internal Governance Committee, called for Cuomo’s resignation, calling the allegations “the epitome of a hostile work environment” and accusing the governor of “a clear pattern of abuse and manipulation”.
New York City Mayor and Cuomo’s Democratic political rival Bill de Blasio also weighed in, calling for two independent inquiries, one into the allegations of sexual misconduct, and the other into the allegations that the The Cuomo administration is said to have withheld information on the extent of Covid-19 deaths in New York City. York Nursing Homes.
“New Yorkers have seen detailed and documented accounts of sexual harassment, multiple instances of bullying and the open denial of information about the deaths of more than 15,000 people,” De Blasio said.
Both scandals put Cuomo’s personal conduct under new spotlight despite his once-vaunted record in the fight against Covid-19 in New York City.
He faces an investigation from the FBI and federal prosecutors, and his own party wants to strip him of the emergency powers they gave him during the pandemic.
Bennett told the New York Times that she informed Cuomo’s chief of staff Jill DesRosiers of a particularly troubling interaction with the governor less than a week after it occurred. She said she had been transferred to another job across the State Capitol in Albany, upstate New York. At the end of June, she also made a statement to a special counsel for Cuomo.
The governor’s special lawyer, Beth Garvey, admitted that the complaint had been filed and that Bennett had been transferred to a post she was already interested in.
Garvey said in a statement that Bennett’s allegations “do not include an allegation of physical contact or inappropriate sexual conduct” and Bennett “has been consulted about the resolution, and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the manner. which she was treated ”.
“The decision taken on the basis of the information provided by Ms Bennett was that no further action was required, which was in accordance with Ms Bennett’s wishes,” Garvey said.
Bennett told the newspaper she decided not to seek further action from the administration. She said she loved her new job and “wanted to move on”.
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