When asked on Wednesday whether he had completed sexual harassment training, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the “short answer is yes”. But Charlotte Bennett, one of the women accusing the governor of sexual harassment, said the director of the office completed training for him in 2019.
“In 2019, he didn’t do sexual harassment training,” said Bennett to “CBS Evening News” anchor and editor-in-chief Norah O’Donnell. “I was there. I heard [the office director] saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this for you’ and making a joke about the fact that she was completing training for him. And then I heard her at the end asking him to sign the certificate. ”
Stephanie Benton, director of Cuomo’s cabinet, “categorically denies the exchange,” according to a statement from the governor’s office that added, “This is not true.”
“Some state officials take an online course; for senior officials on the Executive Board, the training takes the form of a personal review of the documentation,” Beth Garvey, the governor’s special adviser, told CBS News. “The governor made this review of the mandatory material and completed the training.”
In his interview with O’Donnell, Bennett also described what allegedly happened after she told Cuomo’s chief of staff that the governor did a series of inappropriate comments, including asking her if her experience with sexual assault has impacted her sex life.
At that meeting, Bennett said, she told Cuomo’s chief aide that she no longer wanted to work directly for him.
“I sat down and quickly said, ‘I love working here. I love you. But the governor crossed the line with me last week,'” said Bennett. “And she asked me what I was referring to. And I said, ‘He said he felt alone, he said he wanted a girlfriend. He asked me if I had slept with older men. He said he was willing to sleep with younger women. ‘And at that point, that was enough for her. And she said, like,’ What can we do here? ‘ “
Two days later, Bennett says she was moved to a new job.
“I thought that if I got a new job, we wouldn’t have to look into it. And I really didn’t want it to be investigated. I was terrified, ”she said.
Bennett told CBS News that he was happy with the deal. But after the meeting, Bennett texted his mother, saying he felt, “Happy, relieved and sad … He shouldn’t have stolen this experience or this path from me.”
Courtesy of Charlotte Bennett
Then, on June 30, Bennett said he was called for another meeting – this time with the governor’s chief of staff and the general counsel.
“It was a long and complete conversation,” said Bennett. “At first, they apologized. They said it was inappropriate. When I asked if they could let it go, saying, ‘I don’t want this to be investigated. Please, let it go’, you know, because I was scared , she said: “You came to us before something serious happened. It was just preparation and it was not yet considered sexual harassment. So, for that, we don’t need to investigate”.
Debra Katz, who represents Bennett in New York’s independent investigation into the allegations, said Cuomo’s team was required by law to investigate the allegations.
“When she said, ‘I’m terrified, I don’t want you to investigate,’ what they should have said is, ‘We have a legal duty to investigate,'” said Katz.
In 2019, the governor signed an amendment that made it easier to prove sexual harassment.
“The law he signed himself makes it clear that sexual harassment includes creating conditions that make someone feel uncomfortable because you are making sexual offers,” said Katz.
In a new statement to CBS News, Cuomo’s special lawyer said, “We continue to believe that the matter has been handled properly and look forward to fully cooperating with the attorney general’s review.”
Bennett said he is “confident” in the attorney general’s investigation and asked Cuomo to step down if the investigation’s findings support his allegations.
“I think he should start telling the truth. I am very confident in this investigation,” she said. “But if this investigation finds that he behaved that way, which he did absolutely because I have contemporary evidence, he should resign.”