US

Cuomo Says He Was Unaware Of Sixth Accuser, Denies Touching Anyone Inappropriately

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• Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo denied knowledge of a sixth woman who has reportedly accused him of sexual misconduct.
• “I’m not aware of any other claim,” Cuomo said, adding that “no one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable.”
• Shortly before Cuomo made this claim, Cuomo senior advisor Richard Azzopardi told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an email inquiry about the accusation: “Gov will be talking about this at 4.”

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo denied knowledge of a sixth woman who has reportedly accused him of sexual misconduct.

The sixth accuser reportedly said the governor inappropriately touched her when she was at his mansion for work last year, an official close to the matter told the Albany Times-Union Tuesday. The publication withheld her name since she could not immediately be reached for comment, but noted that she is a member of the governor’s Executive Chamber staff.

Cuomo said on a press call Tuesday afternoon that he was not aware of the allegation. An advisor to Cuomo, however, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an email shortly before conference that the governor would address questions about the allegation during the press call.

“I’m not aware of any other claim,” Cuomo said in response to a question about the reported sixth accuser, adding that “no one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable.”

About 15 minutes before Cuomo said he was unaware of the accusation, Cuomo senior advisor Richard Azzopardi told the DCNF in an email: “Gov will be talking about this at 4.”

During a phone call following the press conference, the DCNF pressed Azzopardi about why Cuomo said he was unaware of the accusation, since Azzopardi had said that the governor would be discussing the allegations on the call. 

“Oh ok, alright,” Azzopardi said. “I meant to say it was going to come up.”

The governor’s office did not further address the allegations. Acting counsel to the governor Beth Garvey said in a statement to the DCNF that “all allegations that we learn of directly or indirectly are going promptly to the investigators appointed by the attorney general.”

The unnamed Cuomo staffer would be the sixth woman to come forward and accuse the governor of sexual misconduct. Republican New York lawmakers began taking steps yesterday to introduce a resolution to impeach the embattled New York governor.

Cuomo faces two separate investigations: one into his workplace behavior by the attorney general’s office, and another from the Department of Justice into his role in undercounting nursing home deaths in New York.

Former Cuomo aide Ana Liss came forward with her allegations in a Wall Street Journal interview published Saturday evening. Liss accused the governor of touching her lower back, kissing her hand and inquiring about her relationship status.

Former Cuomo aide Karen Hinton told the Washington Post Saturday that Cuomo hugged her in an embrace that was “very long, too long, too tight, too intimate” in a dimly lit hotel room on a 2000 trip to Los Angeles. He was the head of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development at the time.

Anna Ruch, who was not a Cuomo aide or staffer, met the New York Democrat at a September 2019 New York City wedding reception, she told The New York Times. Ruch said the governor put his hand on her bare back, moved close to her, told her she was “aggressive” when she removed his hand, placed his hands on her cheeks and asked her if he could kiss her. Her friend later told her that he had kissed her cheek, she said.

Former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her about her sex life, asked her whether she practiced monogamy, whether she was interested in older men, and discussed her past sexual assault with her in an uncomfortable manner.

Former Cuomo staffer Lindsey Boylan accused the governor of kissing her without her consent during a one-on-one briefing, making her uncomfortable and making a number of sexually charged comments to her.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional comment from Gov. Cuomo’s office.