A former aide of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo claims that he sexually harassed her over the course of several years while she was working in his office.
The allegations come from Cuomo’s former special advisor and deputy secretary for economic development, Lindsey Boylan, who worked for the governor from 2015 to 2018. She said that he harassed her frequently and that several people witnessed these interactions.
In a tweet, she wrote: "Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years."
She went on to lament the fact that so many women are subjected to this type of behavior and added that Cuomo abused his power.
"Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it," she tweeted, adding: “And I *know* I am not the only woman.”
Earlier this month, she alluded to the allegations, saying that Cuomo’s office was the “most toxic team environment" in which she had ever worked. She has stated that she is not interested in providing further details about the allegations, tweeting that she does not wish to talk about and relive it.
Boylan is currently running for Manhattan Borough President and challenged House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler in this year's Democratic primaries.
Radio silence from mainstream media
Not surprisingly, several of the big mainstream media outlets failed to report on the allegations. According to the Media Research Center, NBC, ABC and CBS were all silent the day the allegations were made, and the same networks' morning news shows on Monday also failed to mention it. The programs CBS This Morning, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America couldn’t find time to mention the accusations despite having six hours of total airtime among them.
A review of transcripts indicated that neither MSNBC nor CNN mentioned the accusations in the 24 hours following the tweet. However, Fox News ran a report about it on the same day the accusation was made.
Cuomo’s younger brother, Chris, anchors a show on CNN and has come under fire in the past for softball interviews with his brother during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York as scrutiny over his handling of New York nursing homes grew.
Cuomo denies allegations
Cuomo has denied the allegations, saying: “Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has. But it’s just not true.”
Now, an upstate New York congresswoman is calling for an investigation to be carried out into the allegations. Republican Representative Elise Stefanik dug up a past quote from the governor during the #MeToo movement in which he said: “The brave women who chose to come forward deserve swift and definitive justice in this matter.”
Cuomo was equally quick to attack Brett Kavanaugh, saying that the judge’s Supreme Court confirmation was a “sad day for this country” after he was accused of sexual misconduct by Christine Blasey Ford without evidence.
He wrote on Facebook at the time: “The allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh are disturbing and deeply concerning. I call on the Senate to postpone any vote until the allegations are fully investigated.”
Of course, he seems far less eager to pursue the truth when he is the one being accused of harassment.
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