The Sexual Assault Allegations Against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
During the past week we’ve seen three women come forward with allegations of sexual assault again New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The first, former aid Lindsey Boylan, came out on February 24 with accusations that Cuomo kissed her on the lips without warning in his Manhattan office. According to the New York Post, “Boylan said the incident took place after her 2018 promotion to be Cuomo’s deputy secretary for economic development and special advisor to the governor — a job she initially turned down “because I didn’t want to be near him.â€
Boylan also alleges that Cuomo suggested, “Let’s play strip poker,†while they were “flying home from an October 2017 event in Western New York on his taxpayer-funded jet.â€
Last week a second aide, Charlotte Bennett, came forward with her own accusations. She alleges that Cuomo asked her questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men. He allegedly asked if Bennett thought age made a difference in romantic relationships and that he was open to having relationships with women in their 20s. Bennett has said that while Cuomo has never attempted to touch her, the message was clear that he wanted to have sexual relations.
On March 1, a third woman, Anna Ruch, came forward with allegations of her own.
According to an article from the New York Times
When she removed his hand with her own, Ms. Ruch recalled, the governor remarked that she seemed “aggressive” and placed his hands on her cheeks. He asked if he could kiss her, loudly enough for a friend standing nearby to hear. Ms. Ruch was bewildered by the entreaty, she said, and pulled away as the governor drew closer.
“I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,” said Ms. Ruch, whose recollection was corroborated by the friend, contemporaneous text messages and photographs from the event. “I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment.”
“Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office.
I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.
At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.
I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.
To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.
That’s why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.
Separately, my office has heard anecdotally that some people have reached out to Ms. Bennett to express displeasure about her coming forward. My message to anyone doing that is you have misjudged what matters to me and my administration and you should stop now – period.”
Governor Cuomo is also the same Governor who slandered Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh during the me too debacle.
