Andrew Cuomo sex accuser Charlotte Bennett rejects New York governor’s public apology
- Three women including Bennett have come forward to accuse the Democrat of sexually harassing them or making inappropriate remarks
- Earlier, the 63-year-old offered a lengthy public apology, saying: ‘I feel awful about it and frankly I am embarrassed by it.’
Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to Cuomo who has said the governor questioned her about her sex life with what she took as sexual overtones, made her comments in an interview broadcast by CBS News.
“It’s not an apology. It’s not an issue of my feelings. It’s an issue of his actions. The fact is that he was sexually harassing me and he has not apologised for sexually harassing me and he can’t even use my name,” Bennett said.
Three women including Bennett have come forward to accuse Cuomo, 63, of sexually harassing them or making inappropriate remarks. He has denied any misconduct and pledged to cooperate with a review by the state’s attorney general.
Cuomo admits ‘flirtation’, agrees to misconduct probe
On Wednesday, he offered a lengthy and sometimes emotional public apology, saying: “I feel awful about it and frankly I am embarrassed by it.”
Lindsey Boylan, a 36-year-old former Cuomo aide who first spoke out in December, has said the unwanted advances from the governor included an unsolicited kiss on the lips.
Boylan, a candidate for Manhattan borough president, also dismissed the governor’s apology. “How can New Yorkers trust you @NYGovCuomo to lead our state if you “don’t know” when you’ve been inappropriate with your own staff?” she wrote on Twitter.
Second woman accuses Cuomo of sexual harassment
Bennett, a former executive assistant and health policy adviser, told The New York Times in February that Cuomo peppered her with questions about her romantic life last year in what she viewed as an effort to have sex with her.
A third woman has told The New York Times that the governor made unwanted advances and physical contact after meeting her at a wedding in 2019.