House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke the silence on Sunday almost 24 hours after a second woman filed sexual harassment charges against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, calling both women’s charges “credible”.
“Women who have presented serious and credible charges against Governor Cuomo deserve to be heard and treated with dignity,” said Pelosi in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News. “The independent investigation must have due process and respect for all involved”.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Meets with reporters before the House votes to approve a $ 1.9 trillion pandemic aid package during a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, February 26, 2021.
(AP)
The statement came after a second former Cuomo aide filed allegations of sexual harassment just days after his first accuser made his allegations public.
Pelosi, who was very outspoken in his opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court because of sexual assault charges, did not speak publicly to Cuomo until he was contacted by Fox News.
Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration until November, told The New York Times that Cuomo was asking inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she has ever had sex with older men.
Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former undersecretary for economic development and special advisor to the governor, recently accused Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments. Cuomo denied the charges.
BRIAN STELTER OF CNN FORCED TO ADDRESS THE SEXUAL SCANDAL OF CUOMO AFTER THE LATE COVERAGE OF THE FIRST ACCUSER’S NETWORK
Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday that Bennett was a “valuable and hardworking member of our team during COVID” and that “she has every right to speak up”.
He said he intended to be Bennett’s 25-year-old mentor.
“I have never done anything about Ms. Bennett or intended to act inappropriately,” said Cuomo’s statement. “The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel any of the things that are being reported.”
Cuomo, however, said he had authorized an external review of Bennett’s claims.
The two accusations of harassment represent a deepening of the crisis for Cuomo, who a few months ago was at the height of his popularity for his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.
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In recent weeks, he has been attacked for revelations that his government had underreported deaths of COVID-19 in nursing homes. A state deputy went public with complaints that Cuomo had threatened to destroy him politically because of statements he made in the press, prompting other politicians to share stories of being bullied by the governor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.