Former Aide Alleges Andrew Cuomo Groped Her: Report

Andrew Cuomo groped aide? Another former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has accused him of sexual harassment at workplace. The woman alleged on Wednesday that he "aggressively" groped her "in a sexually charged manner" at the governor’s residence. The woman went on to allege that he reached under her blouse and groped her while they were alone in a room inside the Executive Mansion at Albany.

According to a report published in Albany Times Union on Wednesday, an unidentified source said the young woman was summoned by the 63-year-old Governor saying he needed help with his cellphone. The accusations came following the sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour claims made against Cuomo by five other women, four of whom were his former aides.

Last week, the New York governor said that while he was “embarrassed” and “ashamed” over the allegations of sexual harassment against him, he would not resign. In the latest case, the former aide said the incident took place late last year followed by frequent flirting by Cuomo. She claimed that she had recounted the alleged incident to at least one female supervisor in the Executive Chamber on March 3 after watching a news conference during which Cuomo claimed, “I never touched anyone inappropriately,” the Times Union said.

Cuomo's statement

Rejecting calls for his resignation in the light of sexual harassment allegations, the 63-year-old politician said, “I’m not going to resign. I’m going to do the job that the people of the state elected me to do.”

“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable, and I truly and deeply apologize for it,” Cuomo stated, adding, “And frankly, I am embarrassed by it. And that’s not easy to say, but that’s the truth.”

Prior to this, Lindsey Boylan, a former special adviser to the governor, had accused him of creating a toxic workplace culture that includes bullying and sexual harassment, saying that she resigned in 2018 after he kissed her during a meeting without consent. Following that, a second ex-employee accused Cuomo of sexual harassment on February 27. Charlotte Bennett, who previously worked as a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration until November, said that the Governor asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life. The third woman, Anna Ruch said that Cuomo had made unwanted advances at her and “asked if he could kiss her” during a wedding reception in New York City in September 2019.

Feature Image Credit: WikiCommons