A woman who accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment told investigators Monday that he was talking to subordinates about his “hand measure” and “what the large size of his hands indicated,” her lawyer revealed.
The prosecution, former Cuomo assistant Charlotte Bennett, spoke to investigators over Zoom teleconference software for four hours to conduct an investigation into allegations made by her and several other women that the Democrat had sexually harassed them or otherwise made inappropriate remarks and physically had made contact.
The investigation is overseen by Attorney General Letitia James.
Bennett, 25, “ charged her allegations of sexual harassment and provided investigators with more than 120 pages of contemporaneous documents, as well as other examples of documentary evidence, to support her allegations against Governor Cuomo and his senior staff, ” her attorney Debra said. Katz in a statement.
Katz said Bennett gave investigators “detailed information about the sexually hostile work environment the governor nurtured in both his Manhattan and Albany offices and his deliberate attempt to create rivalry and tension among female executives to whom he paid attention.”
“One piece of new information that came to light today was the governor’s concern with his hand size and what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff,” Katz said.
The attorney said investigators “acted swiftly and sensitively to get to the heart of these allegations.”
“We remain confident that their investigation will substantiate Charlotte’s allegations of sexual harassment against Governor Cuomo, as well as the failure of his senior staff to meet their mandatory reporting requirements under the laws he signed,” Katz said.
She also said that “it is imperative” that the probe not only focus on Cuomo’s behavior towards women, “but also the culture of fear, abuse and secrecy that he and his top staff cultivated.”
To this end, we have full confidence in the investigation and investigators. We urge others who have been victims of inappropriate conduct by the governor – and we know you are out there – to come forward with what you have been through, Katz said. “And for those who have observed the behavior, we recommend that you do the same.”
Dozens of Democrats in the New York Legislature and in the state’s congressional delegation, including both US senators, last week demanded that Cuomo step down midway through his third term in light of the claims of Bennett and other women.
Cuomo, who is also facing a pending impeachment investigation in the state assembly, has repeatedly refused to do so. Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Bennett told The New York Times last month that 63-year-old Cuomo asked her questions about her sex life and whether she had ever had sex with older men last year.
Bennett, who had played football against one of Cuomo’s daughters in high school, worked for him at the time as an executive assistant and health policy adviser.
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me and felt terribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the paper when he described an incident last June in which Cuomo complained that he was lonely and asked her, “Who did I last hug? ? “
Cuomo has said he has never made any strides toward Bennett, or behaved inappropriately towards other women.
On Monday, a new poll from Siena College found that 50% of New York voters said Cuomo should not resign immediately, while 35% said he should. And 57% of voters said they are satisfied with the way he has addressed the allegations.
The governor appeared at a vaccination site for Covid on Long Island earlier Monday, where he was praised by officials. No mention was made of the growing sexual harassment scandal and no inquiries from reporters were allowed.
On Sunday, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Larry Schwartz, a former Cuomo top assistant who now serves as the state’s Covid-19 vaccination tsar, has asked Democratic heads of state to support Cuomo, even as he talk to them about immunizations.
A district attorney’s legal counsel filed a preliminary complaint with the attorney general’s office for public integrity over a possible ethical violation by Cuomo’s office last Friday, The Times reported.
Several officials who spoke to The Post said they fear retaliation from Cuomo if they speak to him.
An official from one area told The Post, “I didn’t feel there was any connection between the answer I was going to give and my vaccine supply.”
“But I could see how maybe someone else got that impression,” the official added.
Schwartz, who lived in the governor’s mansion at one point last year, said he had done nothing wrong during the calls.
Beth Garvey, acting counsel for the governor, said Monday that “the distribution of vaccines in New York is based on objective criteria to ensure it matches eligible populations, equality and the ability to deliver weapons quickly. “
“To be clear, Larry’s talks did not involve vaccine distribution – he would never link political support to public health decisions,” Garvey said.
“Perverting Larry’s role or intentions for the headlines slander a decades-long civil servant who has been volunteering around the clock since March to help New York get through the COVID pandemic. acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers he served selflessly is blatantly false. ‘