Charlotte Bennett says she thought Governor Cuomo was trying to sleep with her

Charlotte Bennett says she thought Governor Cuomo was trying to sleep with her

by

Bennett was asked what made her think that Cuomo was trying to sleep with her.

“Without saying it explicitly, he implied that I was old enough for him and that he was lonely,” said Bennett.

Bennett, a 25-year-old former executive assistant and health policy consultant from Cuomo, first told his story to the New York Times last week. Bennett told the Times that the governor had asked her a series of personal questions, including the statement that he was open to relationships with women in their 20s.

She told the Times that she interpreted the exchange – which she said occurred in June, while the state was battling the pandemic – as what the newspaper called “clear openings for a sexual relationship”.

In his initial response to Bennett’s story in the Times last week, Cuomo said he believed he was acting as a mentor and “never made any progress towards Ms. Bennett, nor did I intend to act in any way that was inappropriate”.
Cuomo issued a more direct apology at a news conference on Wednesday, the first since the allegations of harassment were made public.

“Now I understand that I acted in a way that made people uncomfortable. It was not intentional and I really and deeply apologize for it. I feel terrible about it and, frankly, I am ashamed of it, and that is not easy to say, but that’s the truth, “said Cuomo.

In a statement released after Cuomo’s apology on Wednesday in which he did not mention Bennett by name, Debra Katz, a lawyer for Bennett, said the press conference was “full of falsehoods and inaccurate information” and rejected the claim. de Cuomo’s that he didn’t know he was making anyone uncomfortable.

“My client, Charlotte Bennett, immediately reported her sexual harassment behavior to the Chief of Staff and the Legal Counsel. We are confident that they have informed you of their complaint and we hope that the Attorney General’s investigation shows that the Cuomo administration officials have failed act on the basis of Ms. Bennett’s serious allegations or ensure that corrective measures are taken, in violation of her legal requirements, “said Katz.

CBS is scheduled to broadcast another part of Bennett’s interview during “CBS Evening News” and Friday morning on “CBS This Morning”.

Bennett was the second woman to file allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo. Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to the governor, claimed that in 2018 Cuomo kissed her on the lips after an individual meeting at her New York City office.

Boylan told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview published on Thursday: “I just want the abuse to stop. I’m really not focused on punishment. I’m focused on responsibility. the way it is, and is being viewed in real time. “

“And I think this is really unfortunate, but probably necessary,” she said.

Another woman, Anna Ruch, told the Times – in a corroborated report to CNN by a friend – that Cuomo made an unwelcome breakthrough in his direction during a crowded wedding reception in New York City in 2019.

Still, at his news conference on Wednesday, Cuomo categorically rejected requests for resignation and pleaded with New Yorkers to wait for the state attorney general to issue a report on the matter before forming an opinion on his alleged transgressions.

The pending investigation, however, could take months to complete, and Cuomo took advantage of the press conference spotlight in an effort to resist calls for him to resign immediately.

“I never knew at the time that I was making someone uncomfortable,” he said.

.Source