The Democratic governor is already accused of sexual harassment by two women and unwanted advances by a third.
CNN contacted Liss for comment.
“I have never touched anyone inappropriately. I have never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said in his first public speech about the scandal. “I never knew at the time that I was making someone feel uncomfortable. I never knew at the time that I was making someone feel uncomfortable.”
Cuomo said during an appearance on Wednesday that he was learning from his behavior.
“I understand that sensitivities have changed and behavior has changed, and I understand. And I will learn from that,” he said.
Liss served as Cuomo’s policy and operations advisor from 2013 to 2015, according to the Journal.
Liss initially thought of Cuomo’s action as “harmless flirtations”, but she began to view it as “patronizing”, according to the Journal.
“It is not really appropriate in any environment,” she told the Journal.
One such incident occurred when Liss was working at a reception at the Executive Mansion in Albany, New York, on May 6, 2014, according to the Journal.
“He came right up to me and said, ‘Hey, honey!'” Liss said.
She told the Journal that the “governor hugged her, kissed her on both cheeks and then wrapped his arm around her back and grabbed her around the waist”.
A photo shown by the Journal shows Cuomo’s hand on Liss’s waist.
In response to Liss’ allegations, Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, told CNN in a statement: “Reporters and photographers covered the governor for 14 years, watching him kiss men and women and pose for photos. Open to the public on the mansion’s reception, there are hundreds of people, and he poses for hundreds of photos. That’s what people in politics do. ”
Liss said he never made a formal complaint about the governor’s conduct, but later asked for a transfer to another position. Liss said the experience prompted her to seek mental health counseling in 2014, according to the Journal.