New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing a new charge of sexual harassment, this time from a woman currently employed by his office. Alyssa McGrath, a 33-year-old executive assistant, told The New York Times that Cuomo stared inappropriately at her body and commented on her appearance.
Her attorney, Mariann Wang, confirmed that McGrath had given the account to the Times.
McGrath, who doesn’t work directly for Cuomo, said the interactions started shortly after she was hired in mid-2018. The following year, she was with Cuomo’s office when he allegedly made a comment in Italian to her. Later she asked her parents what the phrase meant.
“It was a commentary on how beautiful I was,” she told the publication.
In another meeting in his office, McGrath claimed that Cuomo looked at her shirt and then asked about her necklace. “I bowed my head down and waited for him to speak, but he didn’t start talking,” she said. So I looked up to see what was going on. And he shamelessly looked down my shirt. ‘
McGrath also said that Cuomo kissed her on the forehead at the office Christmas party in 2019 and called her and a co-worker “ mix mommies ” after asking the co-worker about her romantic life.
“He has a way of making you feel very comfortable with him, almost like you’re his friend,” McGrath told the Times. “But then you walk away from the meeting or the conversation, saying in your head, ‘I can’t believe I just had that interaction with the Governor of New York.”
Cuomo is faced with pressure to resign after several women came forward with allegations against him. Cuomo has rejected calls for his resignation and denies sexually harassing anyone. However, he has apologized for comments that may have made women uncomfortable.
“I never meant to insult or hurt anyone or hurt anyone. feel bad about it, ”he said.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
His lawyer, Rita Glavin, made a statement to the Times, saying, “The governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand. Yes, he posed for photos with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian expressions like ‘ciao bella’. ”
None of this is remarkable, although it may be old-fashioned. He has made it clear that he has never made inappropriate advances or touched anyone inappropriately. ‘
McGrath’s attorney told CBS News, “The governor’s deflection is not credible. This wasn’t just friendly banter.”