Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday tried to dismiss allegations of sexual harassment as “ jokes ” misinterpreted as “ unwanted flirtation ” – when his office collapsed at the attorney general’s request to appoint only an investigator to review claims made by two former staff members.
“At work I sometimes think I’m playful and make jokes that I find funny. I occasionally tease people in what I think is a benign way, ”Cuomo said in a prepared statement.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that, given my point of view, some of my comments made others feel in a way I never intended,” he continued. “I recognize that some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation. As far as anyone felt that way, I really regret it. “
The statement came a day after former Cuomo staffer Charlotte Bennett, 25, alleged to the New York Times that the 63-year-old governor had made a series of inappropriate comments that convinced her he “ wanted to sleep with her. ” .
That claim, in turn, came less than a week after another former employee, Lindsey Boylan, expanded the allegations she first revealed in December 2020, claiming that Cuomo kissed her on the lips without warning.
While acknowledging comments that may have gone across the border, Cuomo again on Sunday denied going any further.
“To be clear, I never touched anyone inappropriately and I never made a proposal to anyone and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” he said. “But these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve to answer.”
Cuomo’s statement was issued minutes after his special counsel and senior adviser Beth Garvey first blinked back and forth in an hour with State Attorney General Letitia James about how to investigate the allegations.
“The governor’s office wants a thorough and independent assessment that is impeccable and not political interference,” Garvey said in a statement. “That’s why the Governor’s office has asked Attorney General Tish James to select a qualified private attorney to conduct an independent assessment of allegations of sexual harassment.”
On Sunday morning, James requested that Cuomo’s administration grant its office the sole authority to appoint an independent investigator with subpoena power.
However, the Cuomo government – which on Saturday offered former federal judge Barbara Jones to the investigation, a move that was widespread because Jones once worked with former Cuomo’s top advisor Steve Cohen – responded with a counter-offer.
Garvey said James’s office could work with Judge Janet DiFiore, a Cuomo-appointed appeal, to reach an agreement on an investigator.
James retorted that, under state law, her office has sole authority to appoint an independent investigator.
As the pressure mounted, Cuomo shrank.
“The Independent Attorney will be legally designated as a Special Independent Deputy Attorney General and will be given all powers conferred under Section 63 (8) of the Executive Law,” Garvey’s latest statement continued.
“If necessary, other lawyers from the appointed law firm will be similarly appointed to assist in the assessment. The lawyer makes a public report of his findings.
“The governor’s office will voluntarily cooperate fully.”