Cuomo's ex-staffer who accused him of groping files criminal complaint with Albany sheriff
The woman had filed the criminal complaint days after a team of independent investigators found that the New York governor sexually harassed multiple former and current state employees.
A woman who has accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her at the Executive mansion in Albany has filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County sheriff's department, news agencies reported Friday. The woman has filed the criminal complaint days after a team of independent investigators appointed by New York Attorney General Letitia James found that the Democratic governor sexually harassed multiple former and current state employees.
The woman has been identified in the report as ‘Executive Assistant #1’. According to the report, Cuomo engaged in a pattern of inappropriate conduct with the assistant, including intimate hugs, at least one kiss on the lips, and touching her butt during hugs. Over time, the report said, Cuomo's behaviour escalated to more intimate physical contact, culminating in an incident where the governor reached under her “blouse and grabbed her breast.”
The woman kept the groping incident to herself for over three months until her emotional outburst became visible to her colleagues when the governor claimed at a press conference that he had never “touched anyone inappropriately”, according to the report. She then confided to some of her colleagues about the alleged sexual harassment.
Also Read | New York governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, probe finds
Cuomo, who has vehemently denied the allegations, is facing possible criminal investigations in four New York counties as the damning report found the governor sexually harassed 11 women. The 165-page long report revealed that Cuomo’s “sexually harassing behaviour” was not limited to members of his own staff but extended to other State employees.
The calls for Cuomo’s resignation have intensified after the report was published earlier this week. "I think he should resign. I understand that the state legislature may decide to impeach. I don't know that for a fact," US President Joe Biden said Tuesday.