Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett stated on Wednesday the embattled governor ‘nonetheless does not get it’ as she repeated requires him to resign or be impeached after watching him deny the findings of the Legal professional Normal’s bombshell sexual harassment report yesterday and demand once more that he’s harmless.
Cuomo was discovered to have sexually harassed not less than 11 ladies, together with Bennett, by a crew of investigators put collectively by Legal professional Normal Letitia James. She doesn’t have the authorized scope to cost him criminally, however the Albany District Legal professional stated he has launched an investigation and is inviting ladies to return ahead.
Everybody from NYC Mayor Invoice de Blasio to President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi – a few of Cuomo’s most trusted Democratic allies – is telling him it is time to resign however he’s clinging on, insisting he is the sufferer of a politicized assault by James and that his accusers both lied about him or misinterpreted his ‘heat’ for sexual predatoriness.
On Good Morning America on Wednesday, Bennett – who labored as an aide for Cuomo in 2019 – stated his ‘apology’ to her that was televised yesterday was ‘not a lot of an apology in any respect’.
She and her lawyer are calling on the New York State Legislature – which is on summer time break – to be reconvened to begin impeachment proceedings in opposition to him, saying it is ‘clear’ he will not go quietly and have to be faraway from workplace.
‘Based mostly on his apology which was not a lot of an apology in any respect, he isn’t dwelling in actuality. It is as much as us to take motion. It’s the duty of Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie to question him instantly. He’s a hazard,’ Bennett stated.
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On Good Morning America on Wednesday, Bennett – who labored as an aide for Cuomo in 2019 – stated his ‘apology’ to her that was televised yesterday was ‘not a lot of an apology in any respect’.
New York Speaker Carl Heastie, who would oversee impeachment proceedings in opposition to Cuomo, launched this assertion on Tuesday saying an investigation was underway and would conclude ‘expeditiously’. Critics say the legislature must act quick to take away the Governor, who has ‘misplaced the boldness’ of his friends
Heastie launched a press release on Wednesday confirming that an impeachment investigation was underway and that it could conclude ‘expeditiously’ however impeachment articles are but to be drawn up.
The bulk must impeach him earlier than he would step down. In that occasion, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would stand into serve out the rest of Cuomo’s present time period – which ends in November 2022 – earlier than a re-election.
She was amongst critics who advised him he wanted to step down on Tuesday. There may be but to be a outstanding voice of assist for the Governor.
Cuomo, in his pre-recorded video in response to the AG’s report, stated the ladies had both mistaken his feedback as nefarious, lied about him or exaggerated.
The one apology he issued was to Bennett and it was in response to her criticism that after she confided in him about being a sexual assault survivor, he introduced it as much as her in numerous conversations afterwards and reminded her of it.
He stated that he was solely drawing from previous expertise, when he helped an unnamed feminine relative overcome a sexual assault of her personal.
Bennett stated on Wednesday that the Governor blamed his victims and that the ‘line of questioning’ was ‘inappropriate’.
‘The sufferer blaming isn’t OK. When there are two ladies there are greater than two… we all know that. He has been a longtime political determine for therefore lengthy and he guidelines by concern. He’s scary. I used to be scared – I did not know the place to show,’ she stated.
The substantiated extra critical allegations like that of an unidentified feminine assistant who stated Cuomo groped her breast at his Albany mansion in November final 12 months, and that of an unnamed State Trooper who claims he assigned her to his protecting safety element regardless of her being inexperienced then subjected her to a torrent of abuse which included ‘working his hand down her again from her neck and saying “hey you”‘ once they have been in an elevator collectively.
One other state employee, who additionally is not named within the report, stated he ran his palms over her ‘stomach’.
Bennett’s lawyer Debra Katz stated: ‘At this level it is on the New York Legislature to take decisive motion to question him.
The Governor is clearly not dwelling in actuality, he is refusing to step down. His efficiency yesterday was belligerent and made it clear he is unfit to serve.
‘He nonetheless doesn’t get it. Shockingly, he even blamed his mom yesterday for educating him to kiss individuals in appropriately.’
She was referring to Cuomo’s excuse that he’s handsy with individuals as a result of he comes from a tactile Italian household.
To exhibit that trait, he included a picture montage in his pre-taped response yesterday that confirmed him hugging and kissing women and men in public, together with Rev. Al Sharpton and Invoice Clinton.
In March, when the AG launched her investigation into Cuomo, Biden stated that if he was discovered culpable, Cuomo ought to stand down.
Yesterday, when requested once more concerning the report, Biden stated he ‘stands by’ his earlier assertion and believes he ought to resign.
Along with the potential prison fees by Albany DA David Soares, Cuomo can also be going through civil lawsuits from the 11 ladies.
He talked about one to be filed by the chief assistant who says he groped her breast, which he stated was within the works already.
In his rebuttal to the ladies, his lawyer issued an 85 web page denial of their claims.
The report consists of images of Cuomo with ladies – some whose faces have been muzzed, some whose weren’t – as proof of how tactile he’s
Extra images of Cuomo with ladies at his occasions, along with his palms over their waists. His crew says he’s tactile with everybody
The sexual harassment report comes after Cuomo – as soon as a pandemic hero who the world appeared to for management due to his dealing with of the COVID-19 catastrophe in New York – was stripped of his emergency powers due to his administration’s skewing of nursing dwelling demise numbers.
His administration wasn’t counting nursing dwelling deaths as that however quite as hospital deaths for a while, which seemed that fewer individuals have been contracting COVID in nursing houses and dying from it than was the case.
It was related as a result of he had signed a controversial order that pressured nursing houses to simply accept COVID-recovering sufferers, even once they have been nonetheless contagious, in an effort to not overwhelm the state’s hospitals.
Critics say he deliberately hid the true variety of deaths to underplay the consequences of that order.
He has additionally been slammed for writing a sanctimonious memoir titled Classes in Management and releasing it final October – simply earlier than NY circumstances and deaths soared once more in a second wave of an infection and earlier than vaccines have been accessible.
He’s anticipated to have made thousands and thousands from the advance of that e book and he gave every of his three daughters $300,000 every from it.
On the time, he’d stored companies closed for months with out clarification.
Cuomo’s workplace is but to launch his schedule for Wednesday. He’s understood to be holed up on the Governor’s Mansion in Albany.
THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CUOMO THAT THE AG REPORT SAYS ARE TRUE – GROPING, UNWANTED HUGGING AND KISSING, INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS AND RETALIATING AGAINST ACCUSER WHO SPOKE OUT
‘Govt Assistant One’
The report says Cuomo groped ‘Govt Assistant One’ repeatedly sexually harassed her when she labored for him by subjecting her to ‘shut and intimate hugs’, ‘kisses on the cheeks and brow’, ‘not less than one kiss on the lips’ and ‘touching her butt’.
He allegedly referred to her and one different assistant as ‘mingle mamas’ and requested her repeatedly if she would ever cheat on her husband.
In November 2020, he allegedly groped her breast on the Govt Mansion in Albany.
‘For over three months, Govt Assistant #1 stored this groping incident to herself and deliberate to take it ‘to the grave,’ however discovered herself turning into emotional (in a approach that was seen to her colleagues within the Govt Chamber) whereas watching the Governor state, at a press convention on March 3, 2021, that he had by no means ‘touched anybody inappropriately.’
She then confided in sure of her colleagues, who in flip reported her allegations to senior workers within the Govt Chamber, the report says.
State Trooper #1
The report says Cuomo sexually harassed a state trooper, known as Trooper #1, who he employed onto his protecting element, bending the three-year expertise requirement.
As soon as she was on his crew, he allegedly ‘sexually harassed her on quite a few events’ by ‘working his hand throughout her abdomen from her stomach button to her proper hip whereas she held a door open for him at an occasion’, ‘working his finger down her again’ whereas they have been in an elevator collectively and saying ‘hey you’, kissing her on the cheek.
He additionally allegedly requested her to assist him discover a girlfriend and stated he wished somebody who ‘preferred ache’, and requested her why she wished to get married, saying ‘your intercourse drive goes down’.
‘Trooper #1 discovered these interactions with the Governor not solely offensive and uncomfortable, however markedly completely different from the way in which the Governor interacted with members of the PSU who have been males, and he or she conveyed these incidents contemporaneously to colleagues,’ the report reads.
Charlotte Bennett
Charlotte Bennett
Bennett labored briefly for Cuomo as an aide.
AG Letitia James says her allegations that Cuomo harassed her with a collection of feedback are corroborated.
Amongst his alleged remarks are questions on if she’d date older males, asking her assist to discover a girlfriend, and apparently quizzing her on a sexual assault she had endured.
One of many different feedback that he made was that he wished to experience into the mountains with ladies.
State Entity Worker #1
The unidentified worker stated she attended an occasion with Cuomo in September 2019.
After giving a speech, Cuomo is claimed to have posed for photos along with her. Whereas the image was being taken, he ‘grabbed her butt’.
‘The worker was shocked and mentioned it with quite a few buddies, household and colleagues,’ the report says.
She additionally ‘memorialized the Governor’s inappropriate touching’ contemporaneously, however the report does not say how.
State Entity Worker #2 – Physician who gave Cuomo his COVID check on digicam
One of many ladies whose allegations have been corroborated was the physician who carried out his COVID-19 check at one in all his March 2020 press conferences.
She says that when he advised her, in entrance of cameras ‘good to see you physician, you make that robe look good,’ it was sexual harassment.
One of many ladies whose allegations have been corroborated was the physician who carried out his COVID-19 check at one in all his March 2020 press conferences.
She says that when he advised her, in entrance of cameras ‘good to see you physician, you make that robe look good,’ it was sexual harassment.
The investigators agreed. Additionally they stated that earlier than the check, he requested her to not swab him so exhausting that it ‘hit his mind’.
She replied that she’d be ‘light however correct’ and he stated ‘I’ve heard that earlier than.’
The physician stated his comment was ‘implied in a sexual nature’.
Virginia Limmiatis
Virginia Liammiatis labored for Nationwide Grid and was carrying a t-shirt with the corporate’s identify written throughout her chest when she says she met Cuomo.
He ran his ‘two fingers throughout her chest, urgent down on every of the letters as he did so and studying out the identify of the corporate as he went’.
The report says he then ‘leaned in, along with his face near her cheek, and stated ‘I will say I see a spider in your shoulder’ earlier than brushing the realm between her shoulder and her breasts’.
‘Ms. Limmiatis got here ahead on this investigation after she heard the Governor state, in the course of the March 3, 2021 press convention, that he had by no means touched anybody inappropriately.
Nationwide Grid employee Virginia Limmiatis (left) who stated he touched her chest whereas working his hand throughout her t-shirt. Lindsey Boylan (proper)
‘As Ms. Limmiatis testified to us, ‘He’s mendacity once more.
‘He touched me inappropriately. I’m compelled to return ahead to inform the reality… I did not know how one can report what he did to me on the time and was burdened by disgrace, however not coming ahead now would make me complicit in his lie, and I will not do it.”
Lindsey Boylan
Boylan says that Cuomo made inappropriate remarks to her when she labored as chief of workers to the CEO of the Empire State Growth Company together with that he discovered her enticing and that he wished to play strip poker.
She additionally says that he bodily touched her on varied elements of her physique, together with her waist, legs, and again.
She claims that when she reported her allegations, she was victimized by his crew who ran a smear marketing campaign in opposition to her whereas she ran for workplace.
Alyssa McGrath
McGrath was one other government assistant who says Cuomo harassed her.
‘In his interactions with one other government assistant, Alyssa McGrath, the Governor made inappropriate feedback and engaged in harassing conduct, together with: usually asking about her private life, together with her marital standing and divorce; asking whether or not Ms. McGrath would inform on Govt Assistant #1 if she have been to cheat on her husband—and whether or not Ms. McGrath herself deliberate to ‘mingle’ with males’.
Alyssa McGrath (left) who labored as an government assistant for the Governor. She says he made inappropriate remarks about her private life. Ana Liss (proper) labored within the Govt Chamber between 2013 and 2015, throughout which era she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being known as ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’, and putting his hand round her decrease waist.
‘Kaitlin’
Kaitlin – whose second identify isn’t public – met the Governor in 2016 at a fundraising occasion the place they have been photographed collectively in a dance pose.
Afterwards, she was employed by him in a junior place however given a wage of $120,000 – a determine so excessive she says it was laughed at in her interview.
Ana Liss
Liss labored within the Govt Chamber between 2013 and 2015, throughout which era she says the governor subjected her to sexual harassment that included being known as ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling’, and putting his hand round her decrease waist.
Ruch was a visitor at a marriage, as was the Governor, in 2019 when she says he put his palms on a piece of her again that was uncovered by a cut-out in her gown. She grabbed his wrist to maneuver it away and he responded by saying ‘wow, you are aggressive,’ in accordance with the report.
He additionally kissed her palms and cheek, she stated.
Regardless of feeling uncomfortable, she says she didn’t report them as a result of ‘for no matter motive, in his workplace the foundations have been completely different. It was simply, you need to view it as a praise if the Governor finds you aesthetically pleasing sufficient, if he finds you attention-grabbing sufficient to ask questions like that.
‘And so regardless that it was unusual and uncomfortable and technically not permissible in a typical office atmosphere, I used to be on this mindset that it was the twilight zone and…the everyday guidelines didn’t apply.’
Anna Ruch
Ruch was a visitor at a marriage, as was the Governor, in 2019 when she says he put his palms on a piece of her again that was uncovered by a cut-out in her gown.
She grabbed his wrist to maneuver it away and he responded by saying ‘wow, you are aggressive,’ in accordance with the report.
Cuomo then grabbed her face with each of his palms and stated ‘can I kiss you?’
He was pictured kissing her cheek.
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