Debra Katz – lawyer for Charlotte Bennett, Cuomo’s 25-year-old former political adviser – said her client sat with investigators for more than four hours on Monday and shared more than 120 pages of contemporary records and documents .
“Investigators are acting quickly and sensitively to get to the heart of these allegations,” said Katz in a statement. “We remain confident that their investigation will substantiate Charlotte’s allegations of sexual harassment against Governor Cuomo, as well as the failure of her senior team to comply with mandatory reporting requirements under the very laws he signed.”
Cuomo has been involved in a scandal for weeks because of accusations of sexual harassment and the cover-up of Covid-19’s death toll in state long-term care facilities. New York Democrats prominent in state and national governments asked him to step down, but he defiantly resisted those calls.
Cuomo denied Bennett’s allegations, saying that he “never advanced against Mrs. Bennett, nor did I intend to act inappropriately”.
“I thought, he is trying to sleep with me. The governor is trying to sleep with me. And I am deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible,” Bennett told the network in an interview, adding, “Without saying explicitly, he implied that I was old enough for him and that he was lonely. ”
Katz said in his statement on Monday that Bennett shared with investigators “detailed information” about the “sexually hostile” work environment that Cuomo allegedly promoted in the Manhattan and Albany offices, saying that he created “rivalries and tensions between employees. that he paid attention to. “
“A new piece of information that surfaced today was the governor’s concern about the size of his hands and what the size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his team,” said Katz in the statement.
CNN contacted Cuomo’s office for comment. He denied the charges against him, saying last week: “Women have the right to come forward and be heard. I didn’t do what was alleged, period.”
On March 8, after it was announced that Kim and Clark were selected to head the investigation, Katz released a statement saying that their choice shows that James is taking the investigation seriously and emphasized that he hopes she will not focus on just what Cuomo said and did so, but also based on the “culture of secrecy, abuse and fear that he fostered among his team”.
The New York State Democratic Party also expressed confidence in the investigation on Monday, with its president, Jay S. Jacobs, saying in a statement: “These allegations are serious and disturbing and deserve a thorough and thorough investigation. I am fully confident. in the investigation already initiated by “James’ office.
Jacobs also asked Democratic office holders in the state to continue legislating after several of them publicly asked Cuomo to step down in recent days.
“It is up to everyone to focus on doing the government’s work. In the next two weeks, the state is expected to complete a budget, increase its already extensive vaccination program and meet many other responsibilities that require the state government’s full attention, “said its statement.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Devan Cole, Dan Merica, Rob Frehse, Paul LeBlanc and Laura Ly contributed to this report.