Cuomo tweeted twice on Wednesday however ignored the mounting requires him to resign
Governor Andrew Cuomo caught his head within the sand on Wednesday, ignoring the mounting requires him to resign or face legal fees for sexually assaulting feminine workers and three looming legal investigations.
Cuomo was discovered to have sexually harassed at the least 11 girls, 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 girls 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.
The District Attorneys of Manhattan, Albany and Westchester have now all opened legal investigations into Cuomo’s conduct.
Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, the latest to launch an investigation, stated: ‘When our workplace discovered yesterday that the Legal professional Normal’s investigation of the Governor’s conduct was full, our workplace contacted the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace to start requesting investigative supplies of their possession pertaining to incidents that occurred in Manhattan.’
De Blasio stated he must be criminally charged with assault for allegedly groping the breast of an govt assistant in November 2020. He says it by no means occurred, the AG says that it did.
Cuomo’s workplace on Wednesday despatched out a number of press releases on governmental points however ignored the elephant within the room, as an alternative solely pushing out statements about COVID and vaccines.
Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie, who would oversee impeachment proceedings within the New York legislature, launched an announcement on Wednesday confirming that an impeachment investigation was underway and that it will conclude ‘expeditiously’ however impeachment articles are but to be drawn up.
First, the Meeting Judiciary Committee wants to offer the findings of its investigation to the New York Meeting. The committee’s subsequent assembly is on Monday.
The following step can be an impeachment trial within the Meeting. A easy majority is required for it to proceed to the Excessive Courtroom of Impeachment which might encompass all 63 New York State Senators and 7 judges from New York’s Courtroom of Appeals.
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 arrogance’ of his friends
Within the occasion that every one each the Meeting and the Excessive Courtroom of Impeachment vote to take away him, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would take over and serve out Cuomo’s time period which ends in November 2022.
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 legal professional 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.
‘Primarily based on his apology which was not a lot of an apology in any respect, he isn’t residing in actuality. It is as much as us to take motion. It’s the accountability of Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie to question him instantly. He’s a hazard,’ Bennett stated.
New York Metropolis Mayor Invoice de Blasio appeared on CBS to say Cuomo should resign earlier than he’s impeached and that he thinks he ought to face legal fees.
He dismissed Cuomo’s declare that his habits is of a sure technology and stated: ‘He has the audacity to say, “oh, you realize, I prefer to hug individuals.” I imply, that is simply out of contact with actuality, nevertheless it’s additionally profoundly disrespectful.
‘How about saying, I did one thing unsuitable, I’ve to atone for my sins, I have to go and take care of my issues?”‘
Cuomo denies essentially the most particular allegation – that he groped an accuser’s breast underneath her shirt after calling her into his workplace in November 2020. The AG says it’s credible.
‘Placing your hand up a girl’s shirt and touching their breast is just not generational. I do know loads of guys who’re older, who would by no means in 1,000,000 years do this. Speaking to 20-something yr previous girls, asking them in the event that they’d date an older man after which leering at them – this isn’t acceptable habits, it’s not even shut,’ de Blasio stated.
He added that Cuomo must be criminally charged.
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 several 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 is just not OK. When there are two girls there are greater than two… we all know that. He has been a longtime political determine for thus lengthy and he guidelines by worry. He’s scary. I used to be scared – I did not know the place to show,’ she stated.
The substantiated extra severe allegations like that of an unidentified feminine assistant who stated Cuomo groped her breast at his Albany mansion in November final yr, 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 had 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 legal professional 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 residing in actuality, he is refusing to step down. His efficiency yesterday was belligerent and made it clear he is unfit to serve.
New York Metropolis Mayor Invoice de Blasio appeared in studio for CBS This Morning on Wednesday to repeat his requires Cuomo to resign and say he must be criminally charged. He says Cuomo’s habits ‘wasn’t even shut’ to acceptable
‘He nonetheless doesn’t get it. Shockingly, he even blamed his mom yesterday for instructing 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 reveal 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 in regards to the report, Biden stated he ‘stands by’ his earlier assertion and believes he ought to resign.
Along with the potential legal fees by Albany DA David Soares, Cuomo can be dealing with civil lawsuits from the 11 girls.
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 legal professional issued an 85 web page denial of their claims.
The report consists of images of Cuomo with girls – some whose faces had been muzzed, some whose weren’t – as proof of how tactile he’s
Extra images of Cuomo with girls at his occasions, along with his palms over their waists. His crew says he’s tactile with everybody
The Governor’s CNN host brother Chris – who was revealed as one in every of his advisors within the report – ignored the topic on his present on Tuesday. He’s pictured returning to New York Metropolis from the Hamptons on Monday evening, the day earlier than the report emerged
The sexual harassment report comes after Cuomo – as soon as a pandemic hero who the world seemed 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 residence loss of life numbers.
His administration wasn’t counting nursing residence deaths as that however fairly as hospital deaths for a while, which seemed that fewer individuals had 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 just accept COVID-recovering sufferers, even once they had 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 results of that order.
Protesters descended on Cuomo’s NYC HQ on Wednesday to demand his resignation after the damning AG report. The Governor is holed up in Albany
NYC Republican Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa – the pinnacle of the vigilante justice group Guardian Angels – led the requires him to resign
The protesters held indicators declaring Cuomo responsible of sexual harassment, because the AG did. He’s now dealing with legal investigations in Albany and Westchester
He has additionally been slammed for writing a sanctimonious memoir titled Classes in Management and releasing it final October – simply earlier than NY instances and deaths soared once more in a second wave of an infection and earlier than vaccines had been obtainable.
He’s anticipated to have made tens of millions from the advance of that ebook 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 rationalization.
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’, ‘at the least 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 changing 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 various 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 had 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 ‘appreciated 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 totally different from the best way the Governor interacted with members of the PSU who had been males, and she or he 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 journey into the mountains with girls.
State Entity Worker #1
The unidentified worker stated she attended an occasion with Cuomo in September 2019.
After giving a speech, Cuomo is alleged to have posed for footage together with her. Whereas the image was being taken, he ‘grabbed her butt’.
‘The worker was shocked and mentioned it with various pals, household and colleagues,’ the report says.
She additionally ‘memorialized the Governor’s inappropriate touching’ contemporaneously, however the report would not say how.
State Entity Worker #2 – Physician who gave Cuomo his COVID check on digital camera
One of many girls whose allegations had been corroborated was the physician who carried out his COVID-19 check at one in every of his March 2020 press conferences.
She says that when he instructed her, in entrance of cameras ‘good to see you physician, you make that robe look good,’ it was sexual harassment.
One of many girls whose allegations had been corroborated was the physician who carried out his COVID-19 check at one in every of his March 2020 press conferences.
She says that when he instructed her, in entrance of cameras ‘good to see you physician, you make that robe look good,’ it was sexual harassment.
The investigators agreed. In addition they stated that earlier than the check, he requested her to not swab him so laborious 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 the right way to 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 Improvement Company together with that he discovered her engaging and that he wished to play strip poker.
She additionally says that he bodily touched her on numerous components of her physique, together with her waist, legs, and again.
She claims that after 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 govt assistant who says Cuomo harassed her.
‘In his interactions with one other govt assistant, Alyssa McGrath, the Governor made inappropriate feedback and engaged in harassing conduct, together with: commonly 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 had 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 govt 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 period 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 is just not public – met the Governor in 2016 at a fundraising occasion the place they had 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
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Liss labored within the Govt Chamber between 2013 and 2015, throughout which period 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 bit 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 cause, in his workplace the foundations had been totally different. It was simply, it is best to view it as a praise if the Governor finds you aesthetically pleasing sufficient, if he finds you fascinating 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 bit 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.
