Cuomo denies sexual harassment, but admits ‘unwanted flirtation’
Albany, N.Y.
Contemporary York Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged for the first time Sunday that some of his habits with girls individuals had been “misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation,” and said he would cooperate with a sexual harassment investigation led by the say’s attorney frequent.
In a press inaugurate released amid mounting criticism from inner his have celebration, the Democrat maintained he had by no diagram inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone. But he said he had teased individuals and made jokes about their non-public lives in an strive to be “playful.”
“I now tag that my interactions would maybe well fill been insensitive or too non-public and that some of my feedback, given my situation, made others feel in systems I by no diagram supposed. I acknowledge one of the most well-known things I actually fill said fill been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that diagram, I’m actually sorry about that,” he said.
Cuomo, one of The United States’s most notorious governors, is facing basically the most excessive bother of his decade in place of job following claims he sexually pressured now now not decrease than two girls individuals who worked for him. Democrats in Contemporary York and across the nation aren’t rallying to his facet, leaving him more and more isolated from mature allies.
His partial admission of wrongdoing came after a day of wrangling over who would maybe well tranquil investigate his situation of enterprise habits.
By day’s stop, Cuomo had acquiesced to demands that Attorney General Letitia James regulate the inquiry.
James said Sunday evening that she expected to receive a formal referral that would maybe well well giver her place of job subpoena vitality and allow her to rent and deputize an outdoors law company for “a rigorous and self sufficient investigation.”
“Here is now now not a accountability we dangle frivolously,” said James, a Democrat who has been, now and then, allied with Cuomo but is independently elected and had emerged as a consensus chance to steer a probe.
Calls for an investigation mounted after a second aged employee of Cuomo’s administration went public Saturday with claims she had been pressured.
Charlotte Bennett, a low-level aide within the governor’s administration till November, told The Contemporary York Instances Cuomo asked irascible questions about her intercourse existence, together with whether or now now not she ever had intercourse with older men, and made other feedback she interpreted as gauging her curiosity in an affair.
Her accusation came days after any other aged aide, Lindsey Boylan, a aged deputy secretary for economic pattern and special adviser to the governor, elaborated on harassment allegations she first made in December. Boylan said Cuomo subjected her to an unwanted kiss and irascible feedback about her look.
Cuomo, 63, said in a immediate assertion Saturday he had supposed to be a mentor for Bennett, who’s 25. He has denied Boylan’s allegations.
Over several hours Sunday, James and other leading celebration officials rejected two of Cuomo’s proposals for the formula an investigation would maybe well proceed.
Below his first thought, launched Saturday evening, a retired federal deem picked by Cuomo, Barbara Jones, would fill reviewed his situation of enterprise habits. In the second proposal, launched Sunday morning in an strive to assuage legislative leaders, Cuomo asked James and the say’s chief appeals court deem, Janet DiFiore, to collectively appoint a attorney to investigate the claims and relate a public represent.
James said neither thought went a ways sufficient.
“I carry out now now not accept the governor’s proposal,” she said, tense a formal referral that would maybe well well give her place of job more authority to subpoena documents and believe testimony.
Many of the biggest names in Contemporary York politics lined up rapid within the aid of James.
The say legislature’s two top leaders, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both said they wanted her to deal with the investigation. Republican leaders had, for days, known as on James to inaugurate a probe.
Contemporary York’s two U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both said an self sufficient investigation became wanted.
“These allegations are excessive and deeply referring to. As requested by Attorney General James, the topic has to be referred to her place of job in whisper that she will habits a clear, self sufficient and thorough investigation with subpoena vitality,” Gillibrand said.
White Dwelling press secretary Jen Psaki said, “There has to be an self sufficient evaluation making an are attempting into these allegations.” She said that’s something President Joe Biden helps “and we deem would maybe well tranquil switch forward as rapid as conceivable.”
The furor over the sexual harassment allegations comes amid a contemporary round of criticism over Cuomo’s management vogue and actions his administration took to guard his popularity as an early leader within the nation’s coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo had acquired reward as a tough hand at the helm throughout final spring’s disaster of rising case counts and overflowing morgues. His book, “American Disaster: Leadership Classes from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” became published in October.
But in contemporary weeks his administration became forced to revise its count of COVID-19 deaths in nursing properties following criticism that it had undercounted the fatalities to blunt accusations that some of his administration’s insurance policies had made the scenario within the properties worse.
James fueled some of that criticism by issuing a represent that raised questions about whether or now now not the Cuomo administration had undercounted deaths.
Cuomo became additionally criticized after a say Assembly member went public with a fable of being politically threatened by Cuomo over feedback he made to a newspaper regarding the governor’s coronavirus management. Cuomo said his feedback had been being mischaracterized.
Now, his enhance is eroding quicker.
“Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett’s detailed accounts of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo are extremely excessive and painful to be taught,” U.S. Procure. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter Sunday. “There would maybe well tranquil be an self sufficient investigation — now now not one led by a particular person selected by the Governor, but by the place of job of the Attorney General.”
A neighborhood of more than a dozen Democratic girls individuals within the say Assembly said in a press inaugurate: “The Governor’s proposal to nominate any individual who’s now now not independently elected, has no subpoena authority, and no prosecutorial authority is insufficient.”
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Matthews reported from Contemporary York Metropolis.