Leading female Democratic poles largely remained silent on Thursday on the sexual harassment allegations against Governor Andrew Cuomo – even though some have been candid on the topic in the past.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York was among the elected officials who did not respond to requests for comment on the claims made by former Cuomo assistant Lindsey Boylan.
Gillibrand’s reluctance to address the escalating scandal came despite advocating a “zero tolerance” policy that helped Minnesota Democrat Al Franken resign his seat in the Senate in 2017.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who also called on Franks to resign when she was a California Senate fellow, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) And the usually articulate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-The Bronx, Queens) were also mum after inquiring from The Post.
Former New York State Senator and failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did not respond to a similar request for comment, Fox News reported.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) issued a prepared statement saying, “All survivors of harassment and assault deserve to be heard and … have their cases thoroughly investigated.”
They on the other hand tweeted “#BelieveWomen” in support of Christine Blasey Ford in Senate confirmation hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s successful 2018 nomination to the US Supreme Court.
Boylan accused Cuomo on Wednesday of kissing her “on the lips” without warning in 2018 and saying, “Let’s play strip poker” on an October 2017 flight on his official state jet.
The allegations added details to the allegations she first made in a series of tweets in December.
At the time, Cuomo denied the allegations as “just not true.”
He has not personally addressed her latest allegations, but his press secretary, Caitlin Girouard, said on Wednesday, “As we said before, Ms. Boylan’s allegations of inappropriate conduct are simply false.”
Girouard also released a joint statement from four current and former aides – John Maggiore, Howard Zemsky, Dani Lever, and Abbey Fashouer Collins – who she said joined Cuomo for the October 2017 flights on which Boylan was also a passenger.
“We were on each of these October flights and this conversation did not take place,” the statement said.