Andrew Cuomo Found Guilty of Sexual Harassment
In an investigation by the New York Attorney General, Governor Andrew Cuomo was charged with sexual harassment of several individuals since 2019. These include current and former New York state employees. This included members of his staff as well as a state trooper. The charges also note the Governor was found to be engaging in unwelcome touching and making suggestive sexual comments that made the work environment hostile for the employees.
The report names specific victims and inappropriate behavior that Governor Cuomo engaged in with each one.
- Executive Assistant #1- intimate hugs and kisses on the cheek and lips, grabbing her buttocks and making inappropriate comments about her personal life
- Trooper #1- running his hands from her stomach to her hips, running his fingers down her spine while saying “hey you”, and making inappropriate comments.
- Charlotte Bennett- making comments about helping him find a girlfriend as young as 22 when he knew Ms. Bennett’s age to be 25 and text messages that made her uncomfortable
- State Employee #1- while taking a picture with her, Governor Cuomo placed a hand on her buttocks, tapped it and then grabbed her there
- Virginia Limmiatis- touched her breasts and then said, “I’m going to say I see a spider on your shoulder.” Following this statement, he ran his fingers from her collarbone towards her breasts
- Ana Liss- referred to her as sweetheart or darling, touched and held her hands and asked if she had a boyfriend
- State Employee #2- Inappropriate comments and jokes of a sexual nature
- Anna Ruch- rubbed her bare back through an opening in her dress, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her after she tried to move away from him
Twists to The Story
In another twist to the story, Governor Cuomo’s brother Chris Cuomo who is a CNN news anchor was confirmed to be involved in helping his brother draft press releases regarding the sexual harassment allegations. He reached out to his brother after Charlottes Bennett’s accusations were made public.
An email to his brother helping draft a statement about the allegations was discovered and the email also encouraged the Governor to justify his actions by stating, “Sometimes I am playful and make jokes.” Chris Cuomo apologized for his involvement ad CNN did not punish him for the infraction. Chris Cuomo was quoted as saying, “I love my family ad I love my job and I love and respect my colleagues here at CNN. To them, I am truly sorry.”
These allegations and others earned the Governor the nickname of “Handy Andy” though he denies most of the charges. CNBC reports the Governor as saying, “I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” He also made claims that the investigations were biased and politically motivated.
What is also interesting that the leader of the Time’s Up movement was also tied to Cuomo, noting she helped to cover up instances of potential harassment by Governo Cuomo.
However, the Attorney General’s report stated that they found the denials to lack credibility and inconsistent with the weight of the evidence. The report also says that President Biden has asked for the resignation of Cuomo; however, so far, he has refused to resign. The President did say that if Cuomo does not resign, the state legislature might impeach him. Shortly after this, the New York State House Speaker stated they would move quickly to conclude the impeachment inquiry.
