Charlotte Bennett, one of the women accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, he met with investigators from the state attorney general’s office for more than four hours on Monday and handed over more than 120 pages of records, his lawyer said. Cuomo is facing increasing pressure to resign, and state lawmakers have launched an impeachment investigation into the charges against him.
In a statement, Bennett’s lawyer said he remains “confident” that the state attorney general’s investigation will substantiate Bennett’s allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, as well as his allegations that his team did not meet reporting requirements. mandatory after she revealed her allegations to a Supervisor.
Bennett detailed his allegations in an interview with “CBS Evening News” earlier this month. She claimed that Cuomo repeatedly asked her inappropriate questions, including whether her experience with sexual assault had impacted her sex life and whether she would feel comfortable dating an older man. She also stated that he said he was looking for a girlfriend and that he would date anyone over the age of 22.
“Without saying it explicitly, he implied that I was old enough for him and that he was lonely,” said Bennett.
Cuomo faces six other charges of improper conduct. He denied having sexually harassed anyone, but expressed regret for the comments he made during his tenure that made others uncomfortable.
“I never knew at the time that I was making someone uncomfortable,” said Cuomo. “I never, ever had the intention of offending or hurting anyone or causing pain to anyone. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, felt hurt, felt pain because of the interactions, and I’m ashamed of it, and I feel bad for that. “
Bennett’s lawyer said new information was released during Zoom’s meeting on Monday: the alleged “concern of the governor about the size of his hands” and “what the size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of your team”.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Courtesy of Charlotte Bennett
Last week, the New York State Assembly spokesman authorized an impeachment investigation into allegations of misconduct against Cuomo, and 55 state lawmakers signed a letter urging him to resign. Cuomo refused to resign.
President Biden did not ask for Cuomo’s resignation, saying on Sunday that “I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings.” But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden found the allegations “disturbing” and “difficult to read”.
Jericka Duncan contributed reporting.