Aide: Hugs, remarks led up to abuse
Cuomo groomed her for months before groping, accuser says
ALBANY, N.Y. — A woman who has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of groping her in the New York State Executive Mansion gave a fuller account in a report published Wednesday, detailing how she believed the governor had groomed her for months with a series of tight hugs and sexually suggestive comments.
She said in an interview with the Times Union of Albany that Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, asked about the status of her marriage, recalling that at one point last year, he told her, “Oh, if you were single, the things that I would do to you.”
The groping incident followed later in 2020, said the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In late November, she said the governor summoned her to his second-floor office at the mansion. The woman told the Times Union that Cuomo closed the door and reached under her blouse.
“He pulled me close, and all I remember is seeing his hand, his big hand,” the woman said in the interview. Moments later, he grasped one of her breasts over her bra, leaving her “so confused and so taken aback.”
She said to the Times Union that she had told him, “You’re going to get us in trouble,” because she didn’t know “what else to say.”
“He said, ‘I don’t care.’ ” Several current and former employees have lodged sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo in recent months, and other women have come forward with accounts of uncomfortable interactions with the governor.
The alleged groping at the mansion was the most sexually aggressive allegation, and it was forwarded to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is overseeing an inquiry into sexual harassment claims against the governor.
A separate state Assembly investigation is also underway, with a broader mandate that also includes looking at Cuomo’s handling of the state’s nursing homes, where more than 15,000 people died during the pandemic. Both investigations are scheduled to take months to complete.
Many of the state’s Democratic leaders have now asked Cuomo to resign.
The woman said that after Cuomo had groped her, she told him that he was “crazy,” a comment that she said seemed to hurt his ego.
“He turned around and walked back to his desk. He didn’t say anything. I walked myself out to the front door and nothing was said,” the woman told the Times Union. “It was almost like I felt like a piece of garbage to him. I felt degraded.”
Cuomo has repeatedly denied touching anybody inappropriately and pleaded with New Yorkers to await the outcome of investigations into his behavior before passing judgment. On Wednesday, his personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, reiterated those points, saying “the people of New York know the governor” and noting his “40 years in public service and in the public eye.”
“The attorney general’s review of this claim and others, including evolving details and new public statements by complainants or their surrogates, must be thorough, fair and provide the truth,” Glavin said.