A new woman, Alyssa McGrath, currently an employee at Andrew Cuomo’s office, claims she has been sexually harassed by the governor, who once commented in Italian, on how beautiful she was, kissed her on the forehead during a Christmas party, gazed down her blouse on one occasion and even called her and co-worker “mingle mamas".
Speaking to the New York Times, McGrath, 33, said that there was a common knowledge around the governor’s office that he was playing favourites with female employees, supporting her account with emails and photo evidence:
“We were told from the beginning that was a typical move of his,” the aide said. “Who was the girl of the week? Who was the girl of the month?”
Unlike some other accusers, McGrath did not believe the governor was trying to make sexual contact with her but still sees his behaviour as sexual harassment.
"He has a way of making you feel very comfortable around him, almost like you're his friend," the woman shared with the magazine. "But then you walk away from the encounter or conversation, in your head going, 'I can't believe I just had that interaction with the governor of New York.'"
McGrath doesn’t work for Cuomo directly but is rather occasionally pulled from the chamber of assistants for some urgent work in the governor’s office. The staffer says that she has been in constant interaction with another aide who anonymously accused Cuomo of groping her breast in the executive mansion last year.
“She froze when he started doing that stuff to her,” McGrath said of her unidentified colleague.
The governor then asked that woman not to share this incident with McGrath “specifically”, she claims.
String of Accusers as Governor Denies Claims
McGrath, along with another unidentified colleague, are the latest accusers to come forward alleging that they had inappropriate contact with the head of New York state in the past.
The first accuser, Lindsey Boylan, formerly an economic development official under Cuomo, says her former boss has been harassing her “for years” with lewd comments and touching. Another one, former senior briefer Charlotte Bennett, said Cuomo was asking her questions about her sex life and made her believe that he wanted to get intimate with her, while implying that he was lonely.
Several other former staffers and his female encounters later spoke up about their own experiences with Cuomo, including ex-statehouse reporter Jessica Bakeman, who says the governor touched her inappropriately during a photoshoot.
Cuomo, who is facing bipartisan calls from New York lawmakers to resign and ongoing impeachment probe into his behaviour, repeatedly denied claims that he has ever “touched anyone inappropriately”.
During his 3 March press conference, the governor apologised for making women “feel uncomfortable” but stopped short of admitting sexual misconduct:
“I never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. And I certainly never ever meant to offend anyone, or hurt anyone, or cause anyone any pain,” the governor said.
But McGrath believes that all the accusations raised against the governor actually hold ground, as she says it made her “really upset to hear him speak about this and completely deny all allegations”.
"I have no doubt in my mind that all of these accusers are telling the truth,” the current employee says.
Cuomo’s lawyer Rita Glavin moved on Friday to dismiss McGrath’s allegations as “old-fashioned” moves from the governor’s side:
“The governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like ‘ciao bella’.”
“None of this is remarkable, although it may be old-fashioned. He has made clear that he has never made inappropriate advances or inappropriately touched anyone,” the lawyer concluded.
Apart from the impeachment probe, Cuomo is facing a sexual harassment investigation overseen by the office of New York state Attorney General Letitia James and a separate review into the alleged misreporting of a large number of deaths from COVID-19 that had occurred in nursing homes across the state last year.
