A current female aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo alleged that he “aggressively groped her in a sexually charged manner” at the governor’s mansion last year, The Albany Times- Union reports.
The staffer, whose identity was withheld, was called to the mansion under the pretense of helping Cuomo fix a minor issue with his phone.
While alone, Cuomo closed the door and allegedly “reached under her blouse and began to fondle her,” a source told the outlet.
The woman, who is much younger than Cuomo, told the governor to stop, the source said. The aide also alleged that he repeatedly flirted with her and that the incident was not the only time he touched her.
The aide became emotional during Cuomo’s press conference earlier this month denying sexual harassment allegations from former aide Lindsey Boylan. When a supervisor asked why she was upset, she told the supervisor about the “inappropriate encounters with Cuomo.”
The woman has not filed a formal complaint.
Cuomo denies:
"As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this,” Cuomo told the outlet. “The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general’s report.”
"As I said last week, this is very simple: I never touched anyone inappropriately," Cuomo said on Tuesday. "I never made any inappropriate advances ... (and) no one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable. Obviously, there are people who said after the fact they felt uncomfortable."
Story matches another accuser’s account:
Attorney Debra Katz, who is representing former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett -- one of six women to accuse the governor of sexual harassment -- said the latest allegations are “eerily similar” to Bennett’s account.
Katz told the AP that Cuomo asked her for help with his mobile phone after summoning her to the Capitol. Bennett said Cuomo asked her about her sex life.
"The Governor's sexual harassment, which Charlotte Bennett reported, was buried by his aides and never properly investigated," Katz said. "Because of their enablement, another young woman was left in harm's way."
A growing number of New York Democrats, including the head of the state Senate, have called for Cuomo to resign or be impeached. Cuomo has said that he will not resign.
