A third woman accused New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday, March 1, of inappropriate behavior, further weakening the position of this powerful elected Democrat, already accused of sexual harassment by two former collaborators.
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This young woman, Anna Ruch, 33, who has never been his collaborator, told the
New York Times that
Andrew Cuomo asked her, at a wedding in 2019, if he could kiss her, so even that she had just pushed the hand he had placed on her back away.
“
I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,
” she told the daily.
I turned my head away and was speechless
”.
This testimony further complicates things for the 63-year-old governor, more criticized than ever, after having been a national star for his management of the pandemic in 2020. It adds to the statements of his former economic advisor, Lindsey Boylan , 36, who said Wednesday that the governor had kissed her unsolicited on the mouth and suggested that she play
strip poker
with him when she worked with him between 2015 and 2018. A former collaborator 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett said on Saturday that the governor had also made advances that made her "
uncomfortable
" in the spring of 2020.
Andrew Cuomo, one of the most powerful American governors, had tried Sunday to calm the storm raised by these accusations, by saying "
sorry
" for having said things that his ex-collaborators had according to him "
mistakenly interpreted as flirtation. unsolicited
”.
The one who has run the State of New York for 10 years had assured that he had never wanted to make advances to them, and only wanted to "
joke
" or "
tease
".
"Insulting" excuses
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has notoriously difficult relations with the governor, ruled that the "
apology
" was not.
“
It's like he's saying 'I was just kidding,' but sexual harassment isn't funny.
He seemed to be free of blame for something that to the women involved seems pretty terrifying,
”he commented.
A group of former parliamentary aides who denounce harassment in the Parliament of the State of New York, the Sexual Harassment Working Group, also considered "
insulting
" the apology of the governor, who "
refuses to accept his responsibilities
".
Monday evening, Charlotte Bennett estimated in a statement released by the
New York Times
that the words of the governor emanated from "
a man who uses his power to avoid justice
".
“
I'm with you, Anna Ruch
,” she tweeted.
His aggressive and inappropriate behavior is not justifiable
”.
Lindsey Boylan also expressed her solidarity with this third accuser in a tweet.
Ongoing investigation
While some New York elected officials, including the Democratic majority, are calling for the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, whose third term expires at the end of 2022, the leaders of both chambers have abstained for the moment, pending the results of a investigating these allegations.
State Attorney Letitia James confirmed on Monday that Governor Cuomo had finally agreed to put her in charge of the investigation, having first proposed it to a former judge he knew well.
"
The results will be revealed in a public report
," she said, without specifying how soon.