Another video clip of Andrew Cuomo making inappropriate comments to a female doctor has resurfaced on social media amid growing calls for his resignation as the New York governor. In the new video, Cuomo can be seen telling doctor who carried out his Covid-19 test last spring that she "made the gown look good."
The new video has emerged as Cuomo faces increasing pressure following allegations of sexual harassment by three women, including two of his former employees, in less than a week. A couple of days back another video went viral which showed Cuomo embarrassing a female journalist by almost forcing her to "eat the whole sausage" at a state fair.
Another Moment of Shock
"You make that gown look good," Cuomo, 63, told Dr. Elizabeth Dufort as he stands up to receive the test at one of his Emmy-award winning daily briefings on May 17 last year. Dufort can be seen clad in the personal protective equipment that has become standard issue for medical professionals during the pandemic. The comment, which puts Dufort in an awkward position in front of a room full of officials and reporters, has since been branded "creepy" after three women accused him of being sexually inappropriate in the past week.
Dufort seemed to ignore the comment other than a slight chuckle and continued with the test, which later came back negative. Dufort instead continues with the procedure and instructs Cuomo to lift his head and close his eyes for the nasal swab test. "Close my eyes? Why do I need to close my eyes?" asked Cuomo, hamming it up for journalists on hand for the briefing. "Question the doctor, that's OK."
Cuomo Does it Again
Although Dufort hasn't commented on the video as of Tuesday, but Twitter users who watched the video say that his comment is "creepy AF." Jordan Jayson said: "Anyone who doubts @LindseyBoylan should just watch Cuomo take his COVID test - LIVE - where he tells the female doctor giving the test that she 'makes that gown look good," tweeted one user.
Dufort, who is seen leaving the briefing once the test is over, later left the department. The doctor, who made around $140,000 working for the state's Department of Health in 2019, according to public records, was part of an exodus of Cuomo health officials. Dufort had served as a medical director in the division of epidemiology.
The new video comes just two days after a video of Cuomo telling a reporter, Beth Cefalu, to eat an entire sausage in front of him at the 2016 New York State Fair garnered fresh attention. These videos have now come under renewed scrutiny since multiple women have stepped forward to accuse the governor of sexual harassment over the past week.
Besides being accused by two former aides Lindsey Boylan, 36, and Charlotte Bennett, 25, Cuomo has also been accused of unwanted touching and asking a young woman if he could kiss her at a wedding.
Boylan has alleged that Cuomo kissed her on the lips without warning and suggested she played strip poker on a flight. Bennett accused Cuomo of making a series of inappropriate remarks and asking questions about her sex life and if she ever had sex with older men.
The third accuser is Anna Ruch, who told the New York Times that the governor grabbed her face and asked "can I kiss you" at a reception in 2019, which was caught on camera by a photographer.
