From Unwelcome Hugs to Cupping Breasts: Ex-Cuomo Aide Details Harassment Allegations
15:37 GMT 09.08.2021 (Updated: 15:41 GMT 09.08.2021)
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Following the publication of a report by the New York attorney general saying that 11 women had accused Cuomo of sexual harassment and assault, the New York governor has been facing calls to resign, including from President Joe Biden. He, however, has refused to do so, denying the allegations.
A former staffer at the New York Governor's Office, Brittany Commisso, has unveiled details of the alleged sexual harassment that Andrew Cuomo subjected her to. Commisso was previously known as "Executive Assistant #1" in a bombshell report which accused Cuomo of sexual assault and harassment of his staffers.
Commisso, who began working at the governor's office in 2017, revealed in an interview with CBS that Cuomo's inappropriate behaviour escalated over time. For example, what started as unwelcome hugs eventually escalated into non-consensual kissing.
"These were not hugs he would give his mother or his brother. These are hugs with the intention of getting some personal sexual satisfaction out of it. Then they started to be hugs and kisses on the cheek, and then there was at one point a hug and then when he went to go kiss me on the cheek he’d quickly turned his head and he kissed me on the lips", she said.
In her interview, the former executive assistant to the governor said these actions were "certainly not consensual" and definitely not "normal".
Cuomo would also routinely make notes about her physical appearance, and made sexually suggestive comments when they worked together at his mansion in Albany, Commisso claimed. She added that at one point, the governor would enquire about her ongoing divorce process and about whether she had cheated on her husband with other men.
This image provided by CBS This Morning/Times Union shows Brittany Commisso, left, answering questions during an interview with CBS correspondent Jericka Duncan on CBS This Morning, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in New York. (CBS This Morning and Times Union via AP)
© AP Photo / CBS This Morning and Times Union
But Cuomo behaved in a grabby manner not only when he tried to hug female staffers, his former executive assistant further claimed. She recalled him guiding her through his mansion in 2019 with his hand planted on her butt. In another incident, Commisso said, the governor asked her to take a selfie with him, grabbing and rubbing her butt cheek in the process for "at least five seconds".
The following year, Cuomo allegedly went even further. One day, when she and Cuomo ended up alone in his office at the executive mansion, the New York governor began by hugging her in "a sexually aggressive manner", the former staffer claims. He then shut the door and put his hand under her blouse, ignoring her protests against his actions, Commisso recalled.
"He cupped my breast. I have to tell you it was — at the moment I was in such shock that I could just tell you that I just remember looking down seeing his hand, seeing the top of my bra [...] It happened so quick, he didn’t say anything. When I stopped it, he just pulled away and walked away", Commisso told CBS.
He Broke the Law, He Needs to Resign and Seek Counselling, Ex-Staffer Says
In her interview, Commisso admitted that she did not respond to most of Cuomo's actions, only in the episode with his hand on the bra, trying to fend him off by saying he would get them in trouble. She explained that she was afraid of confronting him at the time.
"I felt as though if I did something to insult him, especially insult him in his own home, it wasn’t going to be him that’s going to get fired or in trouble", Commisso said, while noting she was worried about the state troopers deployed outside Cuomo's mansion who were tasked "protecting" him.
But recently she decided to file a criminal complaint against the governor with Albany County Police. The latter have already launched an investigation into the case. Commisso commented on her change of attitude by stating that Cuomo had broken the law and "needs to be held accountable".
The ex-executive assistant to the governor went on to suggest that Cuomo believed his actions were "normal", but noted they were not to her or the "other women he did this to". Commisso said she thinks that the governor should do the "right thing" for the people of the state and resign – something that Cuomo has repeatedly refused to do, denying all the accusations against him. The former staffer also suggested that the governor "needs to seek counselling, professional help" to deal with his problems in terms of how he behaves with women.
Cuomo Refuses to Resign Amid Pressure Over Sexual Harassment Scandal
Cuomo has been facing calls to resign from all sides of the political aisle, including from US President Joe Biden, ever since New York State Attorney General Letitia James released a report on the results of an independent investigation into the accusations of sexual misconduct against him. The report said that 11 women, current and former staffers, had come forward with claims that Cuomo had sexually harassed or assaulted them. Their names, with the exception of Brittany Commisso, remain concealed.
6 August 2021, 07:38 GMT
The New York governor, who has previously fought sexual assault accusations, as well as taken flak over allegations of trying to hide the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, has refused to resign over the scandal and denied all claims against him. Cuomo insists that there is a political hit operation against him, which he vows to combat. At the same time, he is facing the prospect of being impeached by the New York state legislature.
