Sexual Harassment Claims Against Cuomo: What We Know So Far
In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Cuomo described Ms. Bennett as a “hard-working and valued member” of his staff and said he respected her “right to speak out.”
“I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate,” he said.
Another woman said the governor ‘kissed me on the lips’
Ms. Bennett’s accusations came only a few days after another former administration aide, Lindsey Boylan, elaborated on previous sexual harassment claims that she had lodged against the governor.
Ms. Boylan, who worked for the state’s economic development agency from 2015 to 2018, published an essay on Wednesday in which she detailed several years of uncomfortable interactions with the governor.
Ms. Boylan, who said her boss at the time told her that Mr. Cuomo had a “crush” on her, said the governor went “out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.” In October 2017, during a flight back from an event in Western New York, Ms. Boylan said Mr. Cuomo told her they should “play strip poker.” And in 2018, she said Mr. Cuomo gave her an unsolicited kiss after a one-on-one meeting in his Manhattan office.
“As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips,” she wrote. “I was in shock, but I kept walking.”
The governor’s office said Ms. Boylan’s claims were false, and did not call for an independent review of her allegations.
