New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday identified as for an impartial critique of allegations by a former aide that he sexually harassed her on the occupation. He denied the accusations, and said all of his personnel would cooperate with the evaluate, to be carried out by a retired federal judge that his workplace selected.
The aide, Charlotte Bennett, is the second to come ahead since December to make these allegations. The New York Periods documented her allegations Saturday, crafting that Bennett, 25, claimed he produced overtures about acquiring a sexual romantic relationship with her.
The Occasions claimed that Bennett — a former govt assistant and well being plan adviser in the Cuomo administration — reported Cuomo asked her about her sex existence and no matter if she had slept with older adult men.
Cuomo, 63, issued a assertion Saturday night in which he denied dealing with her that way.
“When she arrived to me and opened up about currently being a sexual assault survivor and how it formed her and her ongoing efforts to create an organization that empowered her voice to assist other survivors, I attempted to be supportive and beneficial,” he stated.
He extra, “Ms. Bennett’s preliminary perception was correct: I was attempting to be a mentor to her. I under no circumstances produced developments toward Ms. Bennett nor did I at any time intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.”
Cuomo known as for “a comprehensive and extensive outside the house overview.”
“This condition simply cannot and should really not be settled in the press,” he said.
Beth Garvey, unique counsel and senior advisor to Cuomo, stated in the exact same statement that previous federal Decide Barbara Jones would lead an independent critique, and that all the governor’s staffers have been purchased to cooperate.
Calls for these an investigation grew louder in Albany among Cuomo’s fellow Democrats.
Garvey explained Bennett, who remaining the office in November, had requested a task transfer and did not mention the allegations all through an exit interview.
Bennett recommended to the Occasions that she was transferred times soon after she disclosed the alleged harassment to Cuomo’s chief of team, Jill DesRosiers.
Bennett and DesRosiers did not quickly answer to requests for comment Saturday.
Bennett’s allegations abide by all those of Lindsey Boylan, a deputy secretary for financial growth and unique adviser to the governor from 2015 to 2018, who tweeted in December that Cuomo “sexually harassed me for decades.”
Boylan followed up the tweet with a extra thorough account, including an undesired kiss from Cuomo.
Cuomo spokesperson Caitlin Girouard explained in a assertion to NBC New York at the time, “There is merely no fact to these statements.”
