In Last February, two ex-assistants of Andrew Cuomo accused him of harassment. The investigation launched after that showed a “deeply disturbing, but clear picture” of what is happening at his workplace, the prosecutor’s office said
Andrew Cuomo
US President Joe Biden said that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo should leave office amid an investigation in which he was accused of systematic sexual harassment. This is reported by The New York Times.
Answering the question whether Cuomo should resign after the publication of the results of the investigation, Biden said: “Yes.” At the same time, the head of state has not yet insisted that the governor be brought to trial.
White House press Secretary Jen Psaki, commenting on the situation with Cuomo, in turn said: “All women who have experienced such an experience, harassment or abuse or, in the worst case, assault, deserve to have their voices heard.”
An investigation initiated by the Attorney General of the State of New York, Letitia James, against Andrew Cuomo showed that he systematically subjected women to sexual harassment. The results of the five-month investigation are published on the website of the Prosecutor General.
The 165-page report says that investigators were able to identify a “deeply disturbing, but clear picture”of what was happening at Cuomo’s workplace. According to the investigation, he regularly insulted current and former female employees of his office, touching and kissing them against their wishes, and also made indecent comments of a sexual nature to them.
The investigation mentions 11 women who were harassed by the governor. In total, the investigators received statements from 179 people. According to the authors of the investigation, Cuomo thus violated both federal and state laws.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the lawyers who conducted the investigation told about numerous episodes in which Cuomo allegedly grabbed the chest or buttocks of his former executive assistant, and also ran his finger along the spine and touched the stomach of a soldier seconded to the governor’s security service.
According to James, it was found that several women who were not related to the state administration were harassed by Cuomo. At the moment, the state prosecutor’s office has not filed any charges against Cuomo.
The governor, commenting on the results of the investigation, said that the facts presented in it are greatly exaggerated. “I have never touched anyone inappropriately or committed inappropriate sexual harassment,” he said.
According to Cuomo, tactile elements and phrases are often present in his manner of communicating with people, for example, “dear” or “Ciao, Bella”. “I kiss people on the forehead. I kiss people on the cheek. I kiss people’s hands. I hug people. I embrace people, men and women, ” the governor described his style of communication.
At the same time, Cuomo said that he was not going to resign, despite the demands from a number of politicians and public figures. According to the Financial Times, Cuomo, who has been governor of the state since the beginning of 2011, is raising money for the election campaign to be re-elected for a fourth term next year.
The investigation into Cuomo began after two former aides, Lindsay Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, accused the governor of sexual harassment in February. In particular, Boylan stated that ambiguous proposals were received from Cuomo from 2016 to 2018. According to her, he offered her to play cards for undressing andI kissed her once without her consent. Bennett said that the governor harassed her in the spring and summer of 2020. According to the ex-assistant, he asked about her intimate life, made hints that she regarded as attempts to enter into a relationship with her, and also complained of loneliness.
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