A second former employee of Andrew M. Cuomo, governor of New York, USA, accuses the politician of sexual harassment, the New York Times says.
According to the employee’s interview with the vehicle, she was asked about her sex life, asked if she was monogamous in her relationships and also if she had ever had sex with older men.
Employee Charlotte Bennett, 25, who was an executive assistant and health policy advisor until she left in November, told the New York Times the governor harassed her in late spring, at its height. of the fight against the coronavirus.
According to Bennett, one of the most uncomfortable episodes happened on June 5, when she was alone with the governor in her office. She says the politician asked several questions about her personal life, including whether she thought age made a difference in dating relationships, and said she was open to relationships with women in their 20s.
At the same time, the former employee also affirms that the governor complained to her of being alone during the pandemic, specifying that he “cannot even kiss anyone”.
In response to the New York Times, the politician said he behaved like a mentor and that he had never “done anything for Ms. Bennett, he did not even intend to act inappropriately. “.
Cuomo also said he called for an independent investigation into the matter and asked citizens of the state to wait until the process is complete before drawing any conclusions.
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and I felt awfully uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett said. “I was wondering how I could escape this situation and assumed that was the end of my job.”
She was transferred to another post, but claims to have reported the situation to the governor’s chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, and the governor’s special legal adviser, Judith Mogul. No action was taken.
The situation follows another accusation by Lindsey Boylan, who worked in the state’s economic development zone, who says the governor harassed her on various occasions between 2016 and 2018, including an episode in which he received a forced kiss.
Boylan, who made his first accusations on Twitter in December, wrote a detailed document that was posted on the Medium platform on Wednesday (24).
The New York governor has twice denied the allegations – most recently he was contacted by the Reuters news agency, but did not respond.
“Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a culture in his administration in which sexual harassment and bullying is so compelling that it is not only tolerated, but also expected,” Lindsey Boylan said Wednesday, adding that two other women who do not did not want to identify themselves they also claim that the governor acted inappropriately with them.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has frequent conflicts with Cuomo, on Thursday called for an independent inquiry into the charges against the governor.