Sophia Cain ‘23
Andrew Cuomo has been in the press a lot recently because there have been allegations coming up in the news from several different women, claiming that Andrew Cuomo sexually assaulted them. The first allegations arose in December 2020, when President Joe Biden was reportedly considering Cuomo for Attorney General. At the time, Cuomo was still widely regarded as a hero for how he managed New York’s pandemic response. Since then, seven more women have come forward with allegations of workplace sexual harassment or other misconduct. The allegations vary in severity and scale, with one accusation of groping made by an unidentified woman on March 10, potentially reaching the level of a crime according to Albany police. The first accuser was Lindsey Boylan and she came forward with her allegations on December 11th. Ms. Boylan is age 36, and she worked at the New York state economic development agency from 2015 to 2018. She is currently running for Manhattan borough president. Ms. Boylan was a former aide to Cuomo. She tweeted at Joe Biden writing, “If you make this man Attorney General, some women like me will be bringing the receipts. We do not need a sexual harasser and abuser as ‘the law,’ of the land.” Her allegation received little to no attention until February 24th, when she published an essay alleging that the governor made persistent sexual comments when she was his employee and kissed her without her consent. Since then, several other women have stepped forward. A few days after Ms. Boylan published her account, Charlotte Bennett, age 25, came forward with sexual harassment allegations of her own. Ms. Bennett worked as an assistant and policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until November 2020. She said at first she saw Cuomo as a mentor. The next woman to come forward was Anna Ruch, age 33. She claims that Cuomo made an unwanted advance towards her at a wedding in 2019. She says he clasped her face and asked if he could kiss her. Unlike most of the other women mentioned here, Ms. Ruch is not, and has never been employed by the governor’s office or the state of New York. Still, Ruch’s account and the photo that captured her discomfort was a turning point that prompted several state Democratic officials to call on Cuomo to resign. Two of New York's U.S. senators said in a joint statement about how they feel on the matter at hand. "Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.” Karen Hinton, age 62, was the next to come forward. She worked for Cuomo when he was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton Administration, alleging that Cuomo gave her an unsolicited “intimate embrace” in a hotel room in 2000. “I pulled away. He brought me back. I pulled away again and I said, 'Look I need some sleep, I am going.’” This was all said in a TV interview she did. The next to come forward was Ana Liss, age 35. She claims Cuomo kissed her hand, touched her lower back, called her “sweetheart,” and asked whether she had a boyfriend while she was working for him between 2013 and 2015. Ms. Liss has stated that she initially saw this behavior as harmless flirtation, but gradually began to see it as inappropriate and patronizing. On March 10th, it was reported that a female aide, whose identity has not been made public, alleged that Cuomo “aggressively” groped her at the Executive Mansion in late 2020. The aide is a young woman who had been summoned to the governor’s private residence to assist him with a technical issue. They were alone when Cuomo allegedly “reached under her blouse and began to fondle her” according to the Times Union of Albany report. Two days later Jessica Bakeman, a political reporter who formerly covered the New York Capitol in Albany, alleged in New York Magazine that Cuomo was physically inappropriate with her on multiple occasions. “Keeping his grip on me as I practically squirmed to get away from him, the governor turned my body to face a different direction for yet another picture. He never let go of my hand,” she wrote. Cuomo allegedly responded to her discomfort by saying, “I’m sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable? I thought we were going steady.” On March 19th, new allegations of workplace harassment emerged from a current employee of the Cuomo administration. Alyssa McGrath, who works as an aide at the governor's office, told the New York Times about several inappropriate comments and interactions. She alleged that Cuomo referred to her and her co-worker as "mingle mamas," commented on her looks and marital status, and looked down her shirt to comment on a necklace she was wearing. McGrath is the first current aide to speak publicly about her allegations, and she also commented on the serious accusation made by an anonymous current aide that Cuomo groped her. She said that the aide, a co-worker, described the incident in detail to her after the Times Union report came out. Cuomo has repeatedly denied or downplayed these allegations, while apologizing for certain details. “At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny,” he said. “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 has also said, “I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.” He added, responding to those who have called for his resignation, "Politicians who don't know a single fact but yet form a conclusion and opinion are in my opinion reckless and dangerous." He has also been quoted as saying, "I did not do what is alleged, period," What's being done about it? Sixteen House Democrats in New York's delegation are calling for him to step down. The calls for Cuomo's resignation grow louder every day, and 121 members of the state Assembly and Senate have said publicly they believe Cuomo can no longer govern and should quit office now, according to a tally by the Associated Press. The count includes 65 Democrats and 56 Republicans.
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