Charlotte Bennett, one of the women Accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, met investigators from the state attorney general’s office for more than four hours Monday and handed over more than 120 pages of documents, her attorney said. Cuomo is under increasing pressure to resign, and state lawmakers have opened an impeachment investigation into the allegations against him.
In a statement, Bennett’s attorney said she remains “confident” that Attorney General’s investigation will substantiate Bennett’s allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, as well as her allegations that his staff failed to meet mandatory reporting requirements after filing her allegations with a supervisor.
Bennett detailed her allegations in an interview with “CBS Evening News” earlier this month. She alleged that Cuomo had repeatedly asked her inappropriate questions, including whether her experience of sexual assault had affected her sex life and whether she would feel comfortable dating an older man. She also claimed he told her he was looking for a girlfriend and that he would be dating someone over the age of 22.
“Without explicitly saying it, he suggested that I was old enough for him and that he was lonely,” Bennett said.
Cuomo is facing six other allegations of inappropriate behavior. He has denied having sexually harassed anyone, but has expressed regret for the comments he made during his tenure that made others uncomfortable.
“I never knew at the time that I was making anyone uncomfortable,” said Cuomo. “I never meant to insult or hurt anyone or hurt anyone. I hate that these people felt uncomfortable, hurt, hurt from the interactions, and I’m ashamed of it, and I feel bad about it. “
Bennett’s attorney said one new piece of information was revealed at the Zoom meeting on Monday: the governor’s alleged “preoccupation with his hand size” and “what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff.”
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thanks to Charlotte Bennett
Last week, the chairman of the New York State Assembly authorized an impeachment investigation into the allegations of misconduct against Cuomo, and 55 state lawmakers signed a letter urging him to resign. Cuomo has refused to resign.
President Biden did not call for Cuomo’s resignation, saying on Sunday, “I think the investigation is underway and we need to see what it brings us.” But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Mr. Biden finds the allegations “disturbing” and “difficult to read.”
Jericka Duncan contributed to the reporting.