The current governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has been at the center of quite a few controversies throughout his political career. After the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, Cuomo faced immense criticism for his handling of the pandemic. Initially, the governor “balked at issuing stay-at-home orders” and “ordered sick, elderly patients out of hospitals and back to nursing homes, where the virus spread like wildfire.” Since then, it seemed like his COVID-19 response became more effective as New York’s infection rate plummeted. However, recent investigations have revealed that Cuomo “dramatically and intentionally understated the pandemic’s toll on nursing home residents in New York” by hiding crucial data. While this scandal is certainly enough to turn Cuomo from a hero to a pariah, it does not end there. Amid calls for his resignation, two former state employees have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. On Monday, a third woman claimed the governor made an unwanted advance at a wedding.
Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former gubernatorial aide, gave a detailed account of Cuomo’s alleged inappropriate behavior. In one instance, she claims the governor asked about her sex life and whether she had ever been intimate with older men. On another occasion, Bennett claims she was alone with Cuomo in his State Capitol Office when he asked whether she believed age made a difference in romantic relationships. She told the New York Times, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared.” After reporting these incidents to Cuomo’s chief of staff, Bennett was transferred to another job.
Another former employee in Cuomo’s administration, Lindsey Boylan, published an essay detailing the years of harassment she experienced while working for the governor. In it, Boylan says the governor “went out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.” Boylan also claims that the governor asked her to play strip poker during a flight back from an event and that during a one-on-one meeting, Cuomo kissed her on the lips without consent. Boylan resigned from her position as Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Special Advisor to the Governor in 2018 due to the normalized culture of harassment in the administration.
The third sexual harassment allegation against Cuomo was made by Anna Ruch, who never worked for the governor, unlike Bennett and Boylan. Ruch claims that she met Cuomo at a wedding in 2019. After a brief conversation, Cuomo allegedly placed his hand on her lower back. After she removed it, the governor proceeded to call her “aggressive,” then placed his hands on her cheek and asked to kiss her. Ruch says, “It’s the act of impunity that strikes me. I didn’t have a choice in that matter. I didn’t have a choice in his physical dominance over me at that moment. And that’s what infuriates me. And even with what I could do, removing his hand from my lower back, even doing that was not clear enough.”
Cuomo himself has publicly addressed the situation. The governor said he was unaware that his behaviors made his employees uncomfortable. He said his actions were his way of being “playful” and that his jokes were meant to be “good-natured.” In a press conference focused on the coronavirus pandemic, Cuomo told reporters, “I never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, felt hurt, felt pain from the interactions, and I’m embarrassed by it, and I feel bad from it.” Although he has apologized, the governor has made it evident he will not resign.
There has been mass bipartisan support for an independent investigation led by State Attorney General Letitia James, with Cuomo pledging to cooperate fully. The allegations, combined with the recent renewal of criticism surrounding Cuomo’s response to the pandemic, suggest that the governor’s political future is uncertain.
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