One of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s accusers believes he “prepared” her for sex – and his lawyer says he “hindered” the young woman’s career, according to reports on Thursday.
Charlotte Bennett, 25, spoke to “CBS Evening News” for an interview scheduled to air Thursday night and anchor Norah O’Donnell previewed her comments in a video clip posted on Twitter.
Bennett, a former adviser to Cuomo, detailed the “shocking questions” that Cuomo, 63, allegedly “asked her about her sex life”, including whether “she had sex with older men,” said O’Donnell.
Cuomo also allegedly “told her he felt alone”.
“She talks about how she believes Governor Cuomo prepared her,” said O’Donnell.
Meanwhile, Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, told CBS News that the alleged sexual harassment “hindered his career”.
Bennett left the Cuomo administration in November and now works as chief operating officer for Primary Maternity Care, a start-up company founded by a midwife who became an MBA businesswoman at the Yale School of Management, according to her resume on the LinkedIn website.
His state salary was $ 55,000 a year during fiscal year 2019, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy’s “SeeThroughNY” website.
In a report published on Saturday, Bennett told the New York Times that she was working as an executive assistant to Cuomo when he sexually harassed her while they were alone in her office in Albany on June 5.
“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me and he felt terribly uncomfortable and afraid,” she said.
Bennett said he complained to Cuomo’s chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, within a week and soon received a new job as director of health policy and an office across the Capitol building from Cuomo’s office.
Asked about Bennett’s interview with CBS, a spokesman for Cuomo referred to a statement issued on Saturday by Beth Garvey, special adviser and senior adviser to the governor.
“Em. Bennett’s concerns were handled with sensitivity and respect and in accordance with applicable laws and policies,” said Garvey at the time. “She was consulted on the resolution and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the way it was handled.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, Cuomo offered what appeared to be a personal message of condolence to Bennett, identifying her as “the young woman who worked here, who said that I made her feel uncomfortable in the workplace”.
Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, 36, also accused Cuomo of sexual harassment and a third woman, Anna Ruch, 33, said he grabbed her face and kissed her after celebrating a wedding in Manhattan in 2019.
Cuomo also said that he felt “terrible” and “ashamed” with the accusations against him, but defended his actions as “unintentional” and insisted: “I never touched anyone in an inappropriate way”.
He also promised to ignore bipartisan demands that he resign and urged New Yorkers to suspend the sentence pending an investigation by Attorney General Letitia James.
Additional reporting by Bernadette Hogan