ALBANY, N.Y. — An aide to Andrew Cuomo accused the New York governor of groping her in the executive mansion, according to a published report Wednesday. It is the most serious allegation among those made by several women against the governor.
According to the Times Union of Albany, the woman, who was not identified, was alone with Cuomo when he closed the door, reached under her shirt and fondled her. The staff member had been called to the mansion to assist the governor with a minor technical issue involving his mobile telephone, the newspaper reported. Cuomo and the woman were on the second floor of the Executive Mansion when the alleged incident occurred, according to the Times Union.
Cuomo faces harassment allegations from five other women, including former aide Charlotte Bennett, 25, according to The Associated Press. Bennett’s attorney, Debra Katz, said in a statement released Wednesday night that the latest allegations are “eerily similar” to her client’s story.
“The governor’s sexual harassment, which Charlotte Bennett reported, was buried by his aides and never properly investigated,” Katz’s statement said. “Because of their enablement, another young woman was left in harm’s way.”
In a statement to the Times Union, Cuomo said he had “never done anything like this.”
>> New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responds to sexual harassment allegations
“The details of this report are gut-wrenching,” Cuomo said in his statement. “I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general’s report.”
Cuomo issued an apology on Feb. 28 after two women -- Bennett and Lindsey Boylan -- accused him of sexual harassment.
Female aide said @NYGovCuomo aggressively groped her at the governor's mansion — Cuomo calls allegation 'gut-wrenching' https://t.co/wXbGCMffLZ) via @TimesUnion
— Brendan Lyons (@Brendan_LyonsTU) March 10, 2021
Bennett, Boylan, Anna Liss and Karen Hinton worked for Cuomo in Albany or during his time in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, according to The Associated Press. Another, Anna Ruch, told The New York Times that she met Cuomo at a friend’s wedding in 2019. Ruch alleges that the governor grabbed her and attempted to kiss her at the ceremony, the newspaper reported.
MORE: In response, Gov. Cuomo issued a statement to the Times Union denying the allegations, but describing the details of the woman's account as 'gut-wrenching.' https://t.co/y3BtCCilNt
— Times Union (@timesunion) March 10, 2021
Bennett said Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sexual relationships, such as whether she would sleep with an older man, while Boylan said Cuomo kissed her without consent, according to The Associated Press.
According to the Times Union, the woman who made the most recent allegations became emotional while watching Cuomo’s news conference on March 3, his first after the initial sexual harassment claims. She told a female supervisor who approached her about her encounters with the governor, the newspaper reported.
At least one of the woman’s supervisors reported the allegations to an attorney in the governor’s office on Monday, the Times Union reported.
Cuomo said during a news conference Tuesday that, “I’m not aware of any other claim.”
“As I said last week, this is very simple: I never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said. “I never made any inappropriate advances ... (and) no one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable. Obviously, there are people who said after the fact they felt uncomfortable.”
Cox Media Group
