New York Governor Cuomo (Getty Images)
On March 1, a third woman came forward to accuse New York Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment, and under intense pressure Cuomo has agreed to let the New York State Attorney General investigate the matter, with calls for his ouster from fellow Democrats growing louder.
A third woman, Anna Ruch, 33, disclosed that Cuomo had sexually harassed her at a wedding reception in September 2019, the New York Times reported on the evening of March 1.
At the Time, Ruch thanked Cuomo for toasting her newlywed friend, after which Cuomo placed his hand on Ruch’s bare rear end. Ruch said she removed his hand with her own, which led Cuomo to call the act “belligerent” and place his hand on her cheek again. The governor then asked Rahl if he could kiss her himself, and did so loudly enough for his friends nearby to hear.
“I was so confused, shocked and embarrassed. I turned my head, speechless.” Rahl told the New York Times.
The New York Times said Rahl’s account was evidenced by a missive and photos from a friend about the incident.
A spokesman for the governor did not directly respond to the New York Times’ request for comment on the matter, citing only Cuomo’s general statement Sunday in which he acknowledged that certain remarks ‘were misconstrued as unwelcome flirtation.
A second woman who recently came forward with allegations against Cuomo is Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former health consultant, who alleged that Cuomo, 63, asked her about her sex Life last June and implied she was willing to have a sexual relationship with him, according to U.S. media reports.
Bennett also said she was transferred to another building after talking to Cuomo’s chief of staff and legal counsel about the incident. Because she liked her new job, she decided not to insist that authorities must investigate the matter.
The first person to testify against Cuomo was former aide Lindsey Boylan, who disclosed to the media on the 24th that she was sexually harassed by Cuomo while working for the Cuomo administration from 2015 to 2018 by forcibly kissing and touching her body. Cuomo apologized in a statement Sunday, saying he “sometimes” thought he was “funny” at work and “joked” about his humor. Cuomo also denied Boylan’s claims of physical touching and forced kissing.
Pressure from the same party
After the news broke, the White House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Congressman AOC, New York State Democratic lawmakers and New York City Mayor Michael White have all argued that Cuomo should recuse himself from the investigation altogether and conduct an investigation that is “independent and excludes political involvement”.
White House spokesman Jen Psaki told CNN, “Biden supports an independent investigation into these allegations and should act as soon as possible.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on March 1 saying the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo were “credible” and supported an independent investigation into his conduct. “An independent investigation must have due process and respect for all those involved,” she said. She said.
Under pressure, Cuomo said 28 days ago that New York State Attorney General Letitia James and State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore have jointly selected an independent counsel to investigate.
DiFiore was appointed by Cuomo in 2016, and his independence and impartiality have again been questioned by Democrats. Giannoccia declared she would not accept the governor’s offer. Cuomo then conceded, saying he would assign investigators entirely from Jenleha’s office and directed the governor’s office to cooperate with the investigation.
Cuomo is facing pressure from fellow Democrats to resign, and on March 1, New York State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D) tweeted, “Not surprising to see the governor quickly try to interfere with this investigation after apologizing. This abuse of power will only continue and further distract us from our work at the State Capitol. I strongly believe the governor’s resignation will be to the benefit of our state.”
Democratic Congresswoman Yuh-Line Niou’s tweet reads, “The governor is a manipulative, control-freak, sadistic, power-obsessed predator. Please resign.”
New York State Senate Ethics Committee Chair Alessandra Biaggi (D-N.Y.) issued a statement Saturday calling for Cuomo’s resignation and praising the two women who stepped forward.
Cuomo has recently been deeply embroiled in a storm over his mishandling of the state’s spreading nursing Home outbreak. Last August, the Trump administration’s Justice Department asked New York, California and other Democratic states for the number of people who died in state nursing homes in the early 2020s from the outbreak, and Cuomo failed to report truthfully. After the truth was recently revealed, New York federal prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation.
After New York State Attorney General Letitia James pointed out that the Cuomo administration had underestimated the number of deaths by thousands, the state revised the total number of deaths from 8,500 to 15,000.
Cuomo is also facing bullying charges after New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-N.Y.) vowed to “destroy” Cuomo after he attacked him over the nursing home issue.
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