The woman who accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her breast has revealed her identity. CBS News released an excerpt of an interview, to be aired on 9 July, which shows Brittany Commisso,32, discussing the purported incident in detail.
The woman, who worked as Cuomo’s aide, said it was "the right thing" to file a criminal complaint against the official.
"The governor needs to be held accountable. What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law," she said.
In a report released earlier this week by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Commisso, identified as "Executive Assistant #1", alleged that Cuomo touched her breast during an incident in the Executive Mansion in Albany.
"I in no way, shape or form invited that nor did I ask for it. I didn’t want it. I feel like I was being taken advantage of," Commisso said.
The woman also revealed that she felt "she had to tolerate the Governor’s physical advances and suggestive comments because she feared the repercussions if she did not".
Earlier this year, she said those incidents always occurred when the two were alone. "He made sure that it was either at the mansion or, if it was at the Capitol, that no one was around,” Commisso told the Times Union.
Governor Cuomo could face "a couple" of misdemeanour charges based on the lawsuit filed by Commisso, said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, adding that his agency would conduct a thorough investigation.
'He Didn’t Think it Was Improper'
As mentioned earlier, a total of 11 women have accused the official of sexual harassment. Several high-ranking politicians, including US President Joe Biden, have called on him to resign and he is likely to face an impeachment inquiry.
The Democrat has vehemently denied the accusations, while his lawyers have insisted the allegations are part of a plot to drive him out of office. However, Cuomo did admit that his actions and words may have been interpreted as "an unwanted flirtation”.
"At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good-natured way", read Cuomo's statement, released back in March.
His lawyer Rita Galvin appears to be of the same view. During a recent interview with CNN, she revealed that the governor did "slip at times".
"He will say 'darling,' he will say 'sweetheart,' he does ask people questions about their personal lives. He didn't think that that was improper," Galvin said.
She then raised eyebrows of anchor Pamela Brown after saying that placing hands on a woman’s body wasn’t necessarily criminal.
Brown pressed her on the issue. She read excerpts of NY Attorney General's report, which stated that Cuomo reportedly placed his hand on the back, stomach, belly button and private parts of one of the accusers.
"That’s not illegal conduct?", Brown asked.
"That's not criminal conduct as far as I know. Depends on what the context of the circumstances were," the lawyer replied.