New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday he was not going to resign in the wake of several sexual harassment claims made against him during the past week.
Calls for Cuomo’s resignation have intensified after a third woman accused him of offensive behavior, saying he’d touched her face and back and asked to kiss her moments after they met at a wedding reception.
“I fully support a woman’s right to come forward,” Cuomo said, at the end of a briefing on his state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “I now understand I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it.” This was the first time Cuomo had made any public statement regarding the controversy.
“I feel awful about this, and I am embarrassed by it,” Cuomo said. “I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never meant to hurt anyone or cause anyone any pain.”
Watch a replay of Cuomo’s news conference:
Cuomo said he is fully cooperating with an independent review being conducted by the state’s attorney general. “I wasn’t elected by politicians, I was elected by the people of the state of New York,” Cuomo said. “I’m not going to resign.”
Anna Ruch told The New York Times late Monday that she removed the Democratic governor’s hand from her back, but she said he seemed “aggressive,” promptly put his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her.
“I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,” Ruch, now 33, told the Times, which published a photo of the encounter showing the governor’s hands on her face. “I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment.”
An email seeking comment was sent to Ruch’s photography business. Her social media accounts were private. An email was also sent to Cuomo’s administration for comment.
The account from Ruch, who worked as a photographer at the White House during President Barack Obama’s second term, made her the second woman to accuse Cuomo of touching her without permission and fueled broader calls for Cuomo to step down, including from some in his own party.
“The pattern of sexual harassment and predatory behavior by Governor Cuomo is unacceptable, and I believe the women coming forward,” New York City Councilman Antonio Reynoso tweeted in comments echoed elsewhere. “Governor Cuomo must resign.”
The latest accusation follows sexual harassment allegations against the governor from two women who had worked for his administration, accounts that led New York’s independently elected attorney general to say she was moving ahead with an investigation of his conduct.
Attorney General Letitia James received a letter Monday from Cuomo’s office authorizing her to take charge of the probe after a weekend of wrangling about who should investigate.
Charlotte Bennett, 25, told The New York Times in a story published Saturday that the governor had questioned her about her sex life, told her he was lonely and looking for a girlfriend, and asked whether she would be open to a relationship with an older man.
A second former aide, Lindsey Boylan, has also accused Cuomo of harassment. She said Cuomo made inappropriate comments about her appearance and once kissed her without her consent at the end of a meeting.
In a statement Sunday, Cuomo maintained he had never inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone. But he said he had teased people about their personal lives in an attempt to be “playful.” He said he had wanted to act like a mentor to Bennett.
“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,” he said.
His statement drew immediate backlash from critics who said he was throwing responsibility onto the women for perceiving his statements wrongly.
The letter authorizing James’ investigation said that all state employees have been directed to cooperate fully with the review. Cuomo senior adviser Beth Garvey said she would facilitate interviews with witnesses and requests for documents from Cuomo’s office.
Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said her client will cooperate fully with the attorney general’s investigation.
The letter enables James, also a Democrat, to deputize an outside law firm to conduct an inquiry with full subpoena power. The findings will be disclosed in a public report, the letter said.
Cuomo has maintained he had never inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone.
Bennett rejected Cuomo’s attempted apology in which he excused his behavior as “playful,” saying Monday that the governor has “refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for his predatory behavior.”
Bennett, who alleges Cuomo quizzed her about her sex life and asked whether she would be open to a relationship with an older man, tweeted that “abusers — particularly those with tremendous amounts of power — are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations, blame victims, deny wrongdoing and escape consequences.”
After news of Ruch’s account broke, Bennett tweeted to her: “His inappropriate and aggressive behavior cannot be justified or normalized. Thank you for your courage and strength.”
Cuomo’s support has plummeted amid dual crises. The harassment allegations come on the heels of accusations he covered up the true death toll of coronavirus on nursing home residents.
It’s quite a tumble for Cuomo, who had been widely celebrated for his leadership during the pandemic, particularly the daily news conferences in which he sought to inform and reassure the public with charts, graphs and a machismo he dubbed “New York tough.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials have said that while Cuomo is under investigation, he should cede emergency powers he’s held since the pandemic began, nearly a year ago. The Legislature hasn’t taken any steps to revoke Cuomo’s emergency powers — set to expire April 30 — despite a push from Republicans and some Democrats.
On Monday, Cuomo retained Manhattan litigator Elkan Abramowitz to represent him and his office in probes related to nursing homes.
Abramowitz, who previously represented Cuomo’s office in a federal investigation into his 2014 decision to shut down a state anti-corruption commission, said he is not representing Cuomo in the sexual harassment matter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
