Cuomo Said to Be Holed Up at Governor's Mansion to Bash Out Survival Plan in Wake of Damning Report
10:33 GMT 05.08.2021 (Updated: 10:37 GMT 05.08.2021)
© AFP 2023 / BYRON SMITH
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NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexually harassing current and former employees by foisting non-consensual physical contact upon them and making sexually offensive comments. The findings were contained in a state attorney general's report,dropped on Tuesday, with the Democratic statesman denying allegations and refusing to resign.
Disgraced Governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly dodged work on 4 August in the wake of the New York Attorney General's damning report detailing several cases of sexual harassment against him that dropped on Tuesday.
The embattled Democrat opted to hole up in the Governor’s Mansion, where he once lived with his father Gov. Mario Cuomo, to devise a strategy to salvage his tattered political career, reported the New York Post.
Cuomo skipped work to strategize survival plan at Gov. Mansion: sources https://t.co/pJqbomqANP pic.twitter.com/FssysBPD4y
— Susie Blackmon (@SusieBlackmon) August 5, 2021
Cuomo met with aides and close allies in Albany’s Executive Mansion, sources are cited as saying.
“Mr. Cuomo spent Wednesday at the Executive Mansion in Albany talking with his closest advisers preparing for a public event that would further respond to the charges,” according to the outlet.
Findings assembled by independent investigators concluded that Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former state employees, from 2013 to 2020 in violation of state and federal law.
NY AG Leticia James: "The independent investigation has concluded @NYGovCuomo Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and violated federal and state law." pic.twitter.com/NDzpW7sOBS
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 3, 2021
The Governor has been accused of making inappropriate comments on sex and dating and subjecting his “victims” to nonconsensual groping. The Governor’s office remained silent on the conclusions presented in the report.
“The event never happened because the governor’s team couldn’t settle on an exact message or format,” said the sources.
All that the public has been treated to since Attorney General Letitia James released the 165-page bombshell report on Tuesday morning has been a pre-recorded video where the three-term governor reiterated his denial of the accusations.
He stated that “the facts are much different than what has been portrayed” and that he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.”
"I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances."
— The Recount (@therecount) August 3, 2021
— Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) denies the damning, detailed, and credible allegations of sexual harassment laid out by NY AG Letitia James. pic.twitter.com/sVLzbI8rHm
The 63-year-old Cuomo also emphasized that some aspects of his behavior or statements were misinterpreted, while hinting at political motives by would-be rivals. The pre-taped message was accompanied by a slideshow of photos of him hugging and kissing men and women of all ages and races.
Legal Woes, Calls to Quit
A bipartisan chorus of calls for Cuomo’s resignation is gaining strength, with President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York’s U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and other onetime Democratic allies, all urging Cuomo to face the consequences of his actions.
WATCH: @LesterHoltNBC speaks to Albany County District Attorney David Soares about his office’s separate investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo. pic.twitter.com/6ZyIzk2fcV
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 3, 2021
District attorneys in Manhattan, Nassau, Oswego and Westchester Counties have separately announced that they were investigating Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s actions. Prosecutors in Manhattan and Albany were reported to have already opened criminal investigations.
