The sixth woman, an aide of Andrew Cuomo, who accused him of sexual harassment, made shocking revelations on Tuesday alleging that the New York governor aggressively groped her and reached under her shirt at his residence, Executive Mansion, late last year. This is so far the most serious of the long list of sexual harassments made against Cuomo.
According to the Times Union of Albany, the female aide, who hasn't been named, was alone with Cuomo when he closed the door, reached under her shirt and started fondling her. The newspaper's reporting is based on an unidentified source, who knows the aide and discussed the allegation with her.
Shocking Revelations
The female aide reportedly said that she was summoned to the mansion under the apparent pretext of having her assist the governor with a minor technical issue involving his mobile phone. The two were alone in Cuomo's private residence on the second floor of Executive Mansion in Albany at that time.
Cuomo took the opportunity and then closed the door and allegedly reached under the woman's blouse and began to fondle her, according to the source. The accuser, who is much younger than Cuomo, told the governor to stop but Cuomo didn't. According to the Times Union, the woman said that Cuomo had touched her and made flirtatious comments on multiple occasions prior to that also.
The additional details describe the most egregious behavior attributed to the governor to date and the conduct could potentially be pursued as a misdemeanor sexual assault charge. Moreover, the story of the woman is a lot similar to that of Charlotte Bennett, 25, who had accused Cuomo of making flirtatious comments on multiple occasions including asking her about her sex life. Bennett's attorney, Debra Katz, said in a statement released on Wednesday evening that the latest allegations are "eerily similar" to Bennett's own story.
Damaging Allegations
Earlier this month, Bennett had alleged Cuomo of calling called to the Capitol on a weekend and left alone with the governor. On that occasion too Cuomo had asked her for help with his smartphone when he also asked her about her sex life.
The woman's story comes just days after Cuomo held a news conference, where he denied of ever touching any women "inappropriately." Hearing those remarks, the female aide became emotional. Following that when one female supervisor came up to her and asked why she was upset she confided in the supervisor that she too was subject to inappropriate encounters with Cuomo, the source said.
Cuomo faces a series of sexual harassment allegations from multiple former female aides and other women that started with Lindsey Boylan, who published an online essay detailing her own allegations against the governor.
On Tuesday afternoon, several hours after Cuomo's office had been asked about the matter by the Times Union, the governor said in a news conference, "I'm not aware of any other claim," when he was asked by a reporter about the new story. However, the accuser has not filed a formal complaint with the governor's office.
