NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday responded after facing a second allegation of sexual harassment. It came as he battled with Attorney General Letitia James over the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate the allegations. It’s a crisis on top of a crisis on top of a crisis for Cuomo, who until recently was regarded as something of a political mastermind, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported Sunday. READ MORE: 2nd Former Aide Accuses Gov. Andrew Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment, Governor Requests Independent Review Crisis one is the mounting allegations of sexual harassment . Crisis two, Cuomo forced to reverse course and propose having attorney Attorney General James and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore appoint an independent investigator, after his attempt to name his own investigator was roundly criticized. Crisis three, the attorney general refused to act, instead demanding Cuomo send her a legal referral so her office can supervise the investigation and, this is key, compel testimony. “I do not accept the governor’s proposal,” James said. “The governor must provide this referral so an independent investigation with subpoena power can be conducted.” Sources told Kramer that whether James handles the probe herself, or names a special prosecutor from outside her office, she wants the ability to force people to cooperate. That is subpoena power. The developments came after a second woman, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, claimed Cuomo harassed her when she was an executive assistant and health policy aide . In an interview with the New York Times , Bennett alleged Cuomo asked her late last spring, “numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, and had said that he was open to relationships with women in their 20s — comments she interpreted as clear overtures to a sexual relationship.” READ MORE: NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea ...
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Nancy Pelosi Decides Andrew Cuomo’s Sexual Harassment Allegations Are ‘Credible’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) sexual allegations “credible,” breaking her silence Sunday just 24-hours after a second woman came forward with fresh claims. “The women who have come forward with serious and credible charges against Governor Cuomo deserve to be heard and to be treated with dignity,” Pelosi said according to a report . “The independent investigation must have due process and respect for everyone involved.” Cuomo said Sunday night he was “truly sorry” if “some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” as he sought to rebut claims by a former aide she was sexually harassed by him. Embattled Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo scrambles to push out "apology" as he faces sexual harassment allegations from his own former aides. https://t.co/q6Nax6aqmK — Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 1, 2021 “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” the 63-year-old said in a statement released by his office, adding he had teased people about their personal lives in an attempt to be “playful.” “I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that,” he said. WOW https://t.co/kWNvnnjfzw — Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 24, 2021 Cuomo’s claim of innocence came after he asked the New York state’s attorney general and chief judge to appoint an independent investigator to examine the allegations of sexual harassment made against him. ...
Pam Bondi: Andrew Cuomo’s ‘Horrendous Behavior’ Was ‘Completely Inappropriate’
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) on Monday reacted to the sexual misconduct allegations made against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). Cuomo has downplayed his actions, saying his jokes were “misinterpreted.” While speaking with FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Bondi acknowledged Cuomo is “innocent until proven guilty,” but said “at best” his “horrendous behavior” was “completely inappropriate.” “Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty. As a career prosecutor, we all believe that. He is innocent until proven guilty. However, what we know by his own statement … was that he knew one of these women was a sexual assault survivor. Yet, he admittedly teased her about her personal life? At best, to him, it’s horrendous behavior,” Bondi asserted. “He was almost 30 years older than one woman, almost 40 years older than the second woman, both who worked for him. He was in a position of authority over them, and he admitted he teased them about sexual inferences, flirted with them, which is completely inappropriate — at minimum.” Bondi also said she has concerns about Cuomo tampering with witnesses “because he said he knew people were reaching out to one or both of these victims trying to get them not to cooperate.” “[F]rom what the two victims are saying, people all in his circle who worked with them knew that this was going on,” she added. “In fact, one of the victims said he would even direct individuals on his security detail to invite her into his office when others weren’t around. So, again, he’s innocent until proven guilty, but someone will be charged with tampering with a witness, and they’re going to ask those witnesses was it done at the direction of Governor Cuomo.” Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent ...
Former Aide Refuses To Accept Cuomo’s Apology Amid Sexual Harassment Probe; Gov Stays Silent To Reporters’ Questions
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Charlotte Bennett, a former aide who accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment , is refusing to accept his apology. She’s urging other women to come forward. Bennett’s statement comes as the state’s attorney general moves ahead with an investigation into the claims, CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reported Monday. READ MORE: Gov. Cuomo Agrees To Attorney General James’ Demand For Legal Referral To Investigate Sexual Harassment Allegations “As we know, abusers — particularly those with tremendous amounts of power — are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations…” Bennett said in a written statement released Monday afternoon. “These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood; they are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice,” the statement read. Late Sunday, the governor issued a lengthy statement — an apology — saying that some of his actions may have been “insensitive or too personal.” “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry,” Cuomo said. Meanwhile, Attorney General Letitia James received a formal letter of referral from the governor to appoint an independent investigator to probe sexual harassment allegations. James started the process of finding someone to do the job, but it won’t be easy. She must find a law firm, or some members of a law firm, with no political ax to grind — people who haven’t made political contributions to the governor. “It will take some time to appoint a firm,” a spokesperson told CBS2. READ MORE: 2nd Former Aide Accuses Gov. Andrew Cuomo Of Sexual Harassment, Governor Requests Independent Review This comes as the normally talkative governor has refused to take questions from reporters for a week amid mounting pressure and charges of sexual harassment made by two former aides. Bennett, a 25-year-old ...
Who Is Cuomo’s Possible Successor, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul?
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The controversy swirling around Gov. Andrew Cuomo even has some Democrats calling for his resignation. That puts a spotlight on the woman who would succeed him: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul . READ MORE: Former Aide Refuses To Accept Gov. Cuomo’s Apology Amid Sexual Harassment Investigation; Gov. Stays Silent To Reporters’ Questions In her seventh year as lieutenant governor, Hochul has forged a reputation as personable and tireless, CBS2’s Tony Aiello reported. If there’s a ribbon to be cut anywhere in New York, she seems to be there with a smile. “Indefatigable. I’ve never seen anyone with her energy,” Livingston County Democratic Chair Judith Hunter told Aiello. Hunter called Hochul an “exceptional public servant.” After 15 years in Buffalo-area local politics, Hochul was elected to Congress, winning a 2011 special election and doing well with Republican voters. Cuomo picked her as lieutenant governor in 2014, and she beat back a primary challenge from progressive Jumaane Williams in 2018. READ MORE: Gov. Cuomo Agrees To Attorney General James’ Demand For Legal Referral To Investigate Sexual Harassment Allegations As for her political philosophy? “She’s not easy to pigeonhole that way,” said Hunter. “She sees it as important to judge each issue as it comes along.” “In your experience, she’s not strongly ideological, she’s a little more practical?” Aiello asked. “That would be fair, that would be fair,” Hunter replied. Hochul is not viewed as part of Cuomo’s inner circle. Still, if circumstances unfold and she’s a candidate for governor in 2022, Republicans are prepared to link her to the Cuomo controversies. “These serious allegations of sexual harassment are deeply concerning. I think the question that everyone’s going to be asking is, ‘What does she know?'” said GOP consultant Jessica Proud. MORE NEWS: New York Nursing Homes Reopen To Visitors, As Questions Continue About Cuomo Administration ...
