NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has requested an independent review after another former aide has come forward with sexual harassment accusations.
The New York Times reported Saturday that former aide Charlotte Bennett, 25, says Cuomo harassed her last year while she was working as an executive assistant in his administration.
Bennett told The Times the governor asked her if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships and told her he was open to having relationships with women in their 20s.
The Times says Bennett told Cuomo’s chief of staff and Judith Mogul, special counsel to the governor, about the interaction. She was then transferred to a health policy adviser position and told The Times she did not insist on an investigation.
Cuomo was previously accused of sexual harassment by former top aide Lindsey Boylan.
Boylan alleges the governor once proposed playing strip poker while they were on a flight together in 2017. She also claims Cuomo kissed her on the lips at his New York City office in 2018.
Karen Hinton, who worked for Cuomo in 1995 when he was the federal housing secretary, accused him of workplace bullying, saying, “He made me feel as if I were no good at my job and thus totally dependent on him to keep it.”
The governor released the following statement —
“Ms. Bennett was a hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID. She has every right to speak out.
“When she came to me and opened up about being a sexual assault survivor and how it shaped her and her ongoing efforts to create an organization that empowered her voice to help other survivors, I tried to be supportive and helpful. Ms. Bennett’s initial impression was right: I was trying to be a mentor to her. I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported.
“This situation cannot and should not be resolved in the press; I believe the best way to get to the truth is through a full and thorough outside review and I am directing all state employees to comply with that effort. I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgements. I will have no further comment until the review has concluded.”
New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she supports an independent review, adding, “Everyone deserves to have their voice heard and taken seriously.”
Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior adviser to the governor, says former Federal Judge Barbara Jones will lead the review.
from CBS New York https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/02/27/cuomo-second-aide-sexual-harassment-accusations/
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