Cuomo urged to quit as third abuse accuser comes forward
ANDREW CUOMO, New York’s governor, has been accused by a third woman of sexual harassment, adding to an escalating crisis facing the former Democratic star.
The third-term state leader was facing growing calls within his own party to resign as the state’s attorney general opened an investigation and allegations of sexual harassment mounted.
While the first two women are previous employees of the 63-year-old, a third woman – Anna Ruch – came forward on Monday to accuse him of impropriety in an incident at a wedding that was captured in a photograph.
Ms Ruch (33) told the New York Times that Mr Cuomo approached her during a crowded wedding reception in 2019, alleging that he put his hand on her bare lower back, which was exposed in an open-back dress.
When Ms Ruch removed his hand, the governor allegedly told her she seemed “aggressive” as he put his hands on her face and asked to kiss her.
Ms Ruch, who worked as a White House photographer during Barack Obama’s presidency, told the Times: “I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed. I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment,”
A photograph of the moment – the first time the pair had met – appears to show Ms Ruch looking uncomfortable.
The first accuser, Lindsey Boylan, a former aide, alleged last week that Mr Cuomo kissed her on the lips following a one-on-one briefing in his New York City office in 2018, and detailed a “toxic” workplace environment for women.
Days later, Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former executive assistant and health policy adviser to Mr Cuomo, accused the governor of “inappropriate” and “aggressive behaviour” in his dealings with her.
Debra Katz, a lawyer for Ms Bennett, said Mr Cuomo “was not acting as a mentor, and his remarks were not misunderstood by Ms Bennett.
“He was abusing his power over her for sex. This is textbook sexual harassment.”
Mr Cuomo has insisted that his playful behaviour and tendency to joke and tease has sometimes been “misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation” and “to the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that”.
Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, launched an investigation into the allegations on Monday.
It comes as the governor is the subject of another inquiry into whether he sought to cover up the death toll in nursing homes during the pandemic.
The dual crises could threaten any run for president in 2024.
Mr Cuomo had widely been tipped as the favourite for the Democratic nomination after demonstrating strong leadership during the coronavirus outbreak.
A growing number of Democrats were calling for his resignation.
Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio, who has a fraught relationship with the governor, said yesterday: “If these allegations are true, he cannot govern.”
In response to the latest New York Times report, Kathleen Rice, Representative for New York’s 4th congressional district, tweeted: “The time has come. The Governor must resign.”
And on Monday, President Joe Biden, a long-time Cuomo ally, declined to stand behind the embattled governor. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)