Cuomo Faces Growing Calls For Resignation After Third Woman Accuses Him Of Sexual Harassment

Topline

Calls for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo grew after a third woman came forward with sexual harassment accusations against him late on Monday alleging that he inappropriately touched her and tried to kiss her at a wedding reception, as critics dismissed the governor’s Sunday apology as “tone deaf.”

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“It’s the act of impunity that strikes me,” Ruch, 33, told the Times. “I didn’t have a choice in that matter… And that’s what infuriates me. And even with what I could do, removing his hand from my lower back, even doing that was not clear enough.”

Key Background

Earlier on Monday, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said she received a referral letter from the Cuomo administration, allowing her office to proceed with an independent investigation into the accusations against the governor. Before Ruch, two other women, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, had accused the governor of sexual harassment. Boylan, a former advisor to the governor, alleged that she faced sexual harassment for years while working for the governor, which included inappropriate touching and an unsolicited kiss. Bennett, also a former aide to the governor, told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her deeply personal questions about her sex life which she interpreted to be sexual advances. Cuomo on Sunday apologised for comments he said “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” but said he had “never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody.” On Monday, Bennett, a former aide to the governor, hired Debra S. Katz—the lawyer who previously represented Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford—as her attorney.

Further Reading

Cuomo Accused of Unwanted Advance at a Wedding: ‘Can I Kiss You?’ (New York Times)

‘He’s Letting Himself Off The Hook’: Democrats Slam Cuomo’s Apology As Insufficient (Forbes)

Cuomo Accuser Hires Christine Blasey Ford Lawyer Ahead Of Sexual Harassment Investigation (Forbes)