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Cuomo shares bizarre photo montage defending himself as report concludes he sexually harassed 11 women

Andrew Cuomo ‘never touched anyone' ( )
Andrew Cuomo ‘never touched anyone' ( )

The attorney general of New York announced the completed investigation into Andrew Cuomo found he sexually harassed current and former employees, plus previously unknown members of the public.

In response to 11 women coming forward, Mr Cuomo said he “never touched anyone inappropriately” and in his defence of a showed a video montage of himself touching multiple people.

The governor, who refused calls from within his own party to resign, said he welcomes the opportunity to face some of the allegations in court.

In one instance outlined in the report, Mr Cuomo even sexually harassed the doctor who gave him a Covid test live on air by saying: “Nice to see you, doctor, you make that gown look good.”

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In another, an unidentified executive assistant said Mr Cuomo grabbed her breast under her blouse and grabbed her butt on multiple occasions, while an unidentified state employee said he also grabbed her butt while taking a selfie.

A previously unreported complaint from Virginia Limmiatis said Mr Cuomo ran “two fingers across her chest” while reading the name “National Grid” written across the front of her shirt. Leaning in with his face close to her cheek, Mr Cuomo ran brushed his hand below her collarbone after reportedly saying: “I’m going to say I see a spider on your shoulder.”

When a state Trooper told the governor she was getting married, he replied that marriage “always ends in divorce, and you lose money, and your sex drive goes down”.

In a live-streamed response to the probe, Mr Cuomo said he “never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances”.

His photo montage of him kissing and touching the faces of multiple people over the years was then shown as a response to the specific allegation from Anna Ruch.

Ms Ruch was a guest at a wedding in 2019 when she was photographed with Mr Cuomo touching her cheeks, which was published by The New York Times.

The report into the allegation said Ms Ruch said grabbed his wrist on her exposed back and said, “wow, you’re aggressive” before he grabbed her face and said, “can I kiss you?”.

Mr Cuomo said everyday interactions were being “weaponized” to score political points, seek publicity and personal gain.

“That is not front-page news. I’ve been making the same gesture in public all my life. I actually learned it from my mother and from my father,” he said. “It is meant to convey warmth, nothing more.”

He also directly addressed one of his accusers, Charlotte Bennett, who had been a survivor of sexual assault. Mr Cuomo said his comments were an attempt to help her process her previous trauma. He did this, he said, because he was previously unable to help one of his family members who was a survivor of sexual assault.

“I was trying to make sure she was working her way through it the best she could,” he said.

The findings come after a five-month investigation into allegations from multiple women, which Mr Cuomo denied during a live stream.

At a press conference to announce the conclusion of the probe, AG Letitia James said the harassment of “multiple women” created a hostile work environment and violated state and federal laws.

“Specifically, the investigation found that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed current and former New York State employees by engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive sexual nature, that created a hostile work environment for women,” she said.

She said the women, many of whom were young, experienced unwanted groping, kisses, hugging, and inappropriate comments, and that they were not isolated incidents but were rather part of a pattern, which also included a woman outside of government.

The 165-page report also found that Mr Cuomo and senior staffed retaliated against a former employee who accused him of wrongdoing.

The probe appeared to confirm reporting from the New Yorker that Mr Cuomo’s team leaked the confidential records of former staffer Lindsey Boylan, who accused the governor of kissing her and going out of his way to touch her lower back, arms and legs.

Following Ms Boylan’s allegations in late February multiple women came out with similar stories. Mr Cuomo’s former executive assistant, Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that the governor made sexual overtures.

Mr Cuomo requested the attorney generals office investigate after at least seven women made allegations of improper behaviour.

The findings come on the heels of a Times report that Mr Cuomo was grilled for 11 hours in a videotaped interview in July. There were tense moments during the interview, with the governor questioning the independence of an investigator, Joon H Kim, over previous investigations he has conducted into the governor and his allies, the Times said.

Mr Kim and co-lead investigator Anne L Clark wrote in the report that Mr Cuomo’s behaviour extended beyond his own staff to other members of the public and government employees, including a State Trooper within his protective detail.

"We also conclude that the Executive Chamber’s culture -- one filled with fear and intimidation, while at the same time normalizing the Governor’s frequent flirtations and gender-based comments -- contributed to the conditions that allowed the sexual harassment to occur and persist," they wrote.

Ms James said the findings were based on interviews with 179 people and a review of 74,000 pieces of evidence that painted a “deeply disturbing yet clear picture." The report did not, however, conclude whether the conduct should be subject to criminal prosecution.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement that it is “beyond clear” the governor is no longer fit to hold office.

“He must resign, and if he continues to resist and attack the investigators who did their jobs, he should be impeached immediately,” he said.

The White House has said Joe Biden is “aware” of the report, and he’s expected to comment on it further following a Covid event later Tuesday.

When asked if Mr Cuomo should resign, press secretary Jen Psaki said she would let the president speak to his views in the afternoon.

Ms Psaki said the message from the White House to Mr Cuomo’s accusers was that all women deserve to have their voices heard and be treated with respect and dignity.

“I don’t know if anyone could have watched this morning and not found the allegations to be abhorrent, I know I certainly did,” she added.

New York’s two senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, meanwhile, released a joint statement calling on Mr Cuomo to resign.

“As we have said before, the reported actions of the Governor were profoundly disturbing, inappropriate and completely unacceptable,” they said. “No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office”.

Calls for Mr Cuomo’s resignation were joined by the attorney for one of his accusers, Charlotte Bennet. Lawyer Debra Katz told CNN that the findings confirmed Ms Bennet’s account of sexual harassment.

“Sadly, Charlotte was not the only extraordinary woman whose career in the Executive Department was cut short and derailed as a result of the Governor’s illegal behaviour,” she said.

“The Governor’s actions have deprived New Yorkers of the professionalism, passion, and dedication to their state that Charlotte and the many others who refused to submit to his advances have to offer.”