Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on Monday called for an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made by his former advisor. This came as the Democrat governor denied the allegations saying they were "simply not true."
On Sunday, Democrat Lindsey Boylan wrote in a series of tweets that Cuomo sexually harassed her "for years." Boylan worked in the Cuomo administration from March 2015 to October 2018 as his deputy secretary for economic development and special advisor. The 36-year-old also said that she did not want to talk to journalists about the matter.
"Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched," Boylan ho is running for Manhattan borough president, said at the time. "I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation?"
Stefanik, who is the representative for New York's 21st congressional district, called for a probe into the sexual harassment allegations. Quoting Cuomo's statements on the #MeToo movement, Stefanik said New York "deserve a Governor who lives up to his own public statements on sexual harassment."
"Cuomo should be held to his own stated standards," Stefanik said in a statement. "Just as Governor Cuomo appointed an independent investigator to investigate victims' allegations against former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a completely independent investigation must exclude all Cuomo appointees and political allies."
However, Cuomo denied the allegations on Monday at a press conference. He said that he respected a "woman's right" and women coming forward with workplace harassment, but Boylan's claims were "simply not true."
"On the tweets, I totally respect a woman's right, fought for a woman's right to express any concern any issue that she has in the workplace. I support that. But the tweets were simply not true," the governor said.
Meanwhile, Republicans expressed anger that Boylan's allegations were not given as much importance and accused Democrats of starting a "smear campaign" against her.
