NEW YORK | Already accused of sexual harassment, the governor of the State of New York is now facing a more serious allegation, an employee accusing him of having put her hand under her blouse and having touched it in an “aggressive” way, a New York daily reported Wednesday.
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The newspaper Times-Union -based in Albany, capital of the State of New York where the governor has his official residence- quotes an anonymous source “with direct knowledge of the allegations” of the employee, also unidentified.
According to this source, the scene took place in the official residence of the powerful Democratic governor, as he and the employee, much younger than him, were left alone after he asked her to help him with his cell phone.
The employee, who did not file a formal complaint, also claims that the governor touched her inappropriately on other occasions, the newspaper added.
Solicited by the newspaper, Governor Andrew Cuomo, 63, rejected the accusation, saying “never have done anything like this”, while calling the allegation “poignant”.
The Times-Union had already indicated on Tuesday that a sixth woman accused the governor of having touched her inappropriately at the end of 2020 in her official residence in Albany, but without detailing her allegations.
The governor then repeated that he had “never touched anyone inappropriately”.
The previous accusers had spoken of sexual harassment or inappropriate gestures, without accusing the governor of having touched private parts of the body.
The most serious allegations so far came from ex-governor’s adviser Lindsey Boylan, who claimed in late February he had unsolicited her kiss on the mouth and suggested she play with him at “strip poker”, when she worked with him between 2015 and 2018.
Seen by many as a hero in the fight against the pandemic in 2020, Mr. Cuomo, one of America’s most influential governors, has for two weeks been the subject of increasing calls to resign, including from his own Democratic camp .
He has brushed aside those calls for now, asking New Yorkers to await the results of an investigation into the allegations overseen by New York State Attorney Letitia James at undisputed independence.
The investigation has just started and could take months.
Republican elected officials have at the same time initiated impeachment proceedings before the Parliament of New York, where the Democrats are in the majority, with an uncertain outcome. Impeachment requires a simple majority in the lower house and two-thirds in the state Senate.