New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at a press conference. Photo by Seth Wenig / AP
NEW YORK – A former assistant to Governor Andrew Cuomo said the governor kissed her without her permission and asked her to play strip poker, describing a pattern of sexual harassment she described in a new account on Wednesday.
Lindsey Boylan, who is running for president of Manhattan and previously worked for Cuomo and the state’s economic development agency, wrote in a Medium post that Cuomo kissed her on the lips against her will in his Manhattan office.
The former staffer’s charge comes as the governor is inundated with allegations that he has covered up deaths from the coronavirus in New York nursing homes. The fallout has led to accusations in New York’s political world about Cuomo’s tyrannical behavior – including a recent allegation by Assembly member Ron Kim, who said the governor threatened to “destroy” him over Kim’s criticism of the debacle in the US nursing home.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying are so widespread that it is not only condoned, but expected. His inappropriate behavior towards women was confirmation that he liked you, that you have to do something right, ”Boylan wrote. He used intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dare to speak, you would have consequences. “
Boylan said the kiss happened after she gave the governor a one-on-one briefing on the state’s economic and infrastructure projects.
“We were in his New York City office on Third Avenue. When I got up to leave and walked to an open door, he stood in front of me and kissed my lips. I was in shock, but I kept walking, ”Boylan wrote.
She said she left the desk of another staff member. I was afraid she had seen the kiss. The idea that someone would think I was in my high position because the governor was ‘in love’ with me was more humiliating than the kiss itself, ”she wrote. After that my fears got worse. I came to work sick every day. My relationship with his senior team – mostly women – became hostile after I stood up for myself. I was reprimanded and told by his top staff to get in line, but I could no longer avoid it. “
Boylan first accused Cuomo of sexual harassment in December, but went into detail for the first time on Wednesday. Cuomo previously denied Boylan’s allegations.
“Look, I’ve fought for it and I believe a woman has a right to come forward and speak up and express any issues and concerns that she has,” Cuomo said in December. “But it just isn’t true.”
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Boylan was also unavailable for comment.
As of 2015, Boylan served as Vice President and then Chief of Staff at Empire State Development. She then became deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, a job she initially turned down because she felt uncomfortable with Cuomo, but eventually accepted at his insistence with the agreement that she would work on a different floor. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress last year against Rep. Jerry Nadler.
In October 2017, Boylan said she was flying back on Cuomo’s government jet from an event in western New York.
“Let’s play strip poker,” she quoted the governor as they sat across from each other, so close that their knees nearly touched, in the presence of a state agent and press officer.
She said she tried to brush off the comment and sarcastically replied, “That’s exactly what I thought.”
The former assistant said she first chose to make her allegations of harassment public when she learned that Cuomo’s name came up as a candidate for the U.S. Attorney General in December.
“I have been forced to tell my story because no woman should feel compelled to hide their experiences of harassment, bullying and humiliation in the workplace – not by the governor or anyone else,” she wrote on Wednesday. “I expect the governor and his top employees will try to further discredit me, just as they did with Assembly member Kim. They would lose their jobs if they didn’t protect him. That’s how his administration works. I know because I was part of it. ”
Boylan said shortly after she first met Cuomo in 2016 at an event at Madison Square Garden to promote the Pennsylvania Station-Farley Complex project, her boss told her the governor was in love with her.
Another staffer told her that Cuomo suggested that she look up pictures of Lisa Shields, his rumored former girlfriend, because “we could be sisters” and she was “the better looking sister,” and then started calling her Lisa in front. from colleagues. Boylan’s post included screenshots of some emails and texts she exchanged with family and colleagues regarding the governor’s behavior.
Cuomo would also touch her on the lower back, arms and legs, Boylan said.
She also described being called to Cuomo’s office, where he showed a cigar box that was a gift from former President Bill Clinton, which she considered a reference to Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky.
The governor made negative comments about the weight of female colleagues and their personal relationships, Boylan said.
“Telling my truth is not about seeking revenge. I was proud to work in the Cuomo government, ”Boylan wrote. I had looked up to the governor for so long. But his abusive behavior must stop. ”
Anna Gronewold contributed to this report.