CBS News: Cuomo accuser says governor 'groomed her' for sex; her lawyer says he 'derailed' her career



Charlotte Bennett, the second woman to come forward and accuse New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, told CBS News in an interview set to air Thursday evening that the governor "groomed her" for sex. Her lawyer says the entire scandal "derailed her career."

Bennett, 25, who served as an aide to Cuomo, has repeatedly said that the governor sexually harassed her last spring.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Bennett told the New York Times. "And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job."

She also has said that Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life during her time working for him.

Now Bennett is taking her claims a step further, revealing more details in the forthcoming CBS News interview.

CBS' Norah O'Donnell explained Thursday morning what Bennett is now revealing.

Bennett told O'Donnell that Gov. Cuomo "groomed her," the reporter said, and that he asked her "shocking questions."

"It is a powerful interview," O'Donnell said. "For the first time, you are going to hear her describe in her own words exactly what Gov. Cuomo said to her; the shocking questions that he asked her about her sex life — he asked her about whether she had sex with older men; how he told her that he was lonely."

O'Donnell added that this interview "is the most detailed account we have heard to date from one of his accusers."

Bennett "talks about how she believes that Gov. Cuomo groomed her" and "about the culture in the Cuomo administration," O'Donnell revealed.

In a powerful, exclusive interview with @NorahODonnell, Charlotte Bennett, former executive assistant and senior br… https://t.co/GdwLDc6otQ
— CBS Evening News (@CBS Evening News) 1614879527.0

The ex-aide who worked for Cuomo for "several years," O'Donnell said, "has spoken with other women who worked for Gov. Cuomo who had similar experiences."

According to O'Donnell, Bennett reported the behavior to Cuomo's chief of staff and to his special council, and the fallout, Bennett's lawyer, Debra Katz, said, destroyed Bennett's professional future.

"It derailed her career," Katz told CBS News.

Cuomo apologizes, refuses to resign in first public appearance since harassment allegationswww.youtube.com

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo apologizes, denies inappropriate touching after sexual harassment allegations



New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made an announcement on Wednesday responding to allegations from multiple women accusing him of sexual harassment. The governor apologized making these women feel "uncomfortable" but denied that he had touched anyone inappropriately. He said he will fully cooperate with an investigation conducted by the state attorney general into the allegations.

"I want New Yorkers to hear from me directly on this. First, I fully support a woman's right to come forward. And I think it should be encouraged in every way. I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable," Cuomo said at a press conference after giving an update on COVID-19 vaccines and reopening in New York.

"It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it, and frankly I am embarrassed by it. And that's not easy to say, but that's the truth," he continued. "But this is what I want you to know, and I want you to know this from me directly: I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. And I certainly never, ever meant to offend anyone, or hurt anyone, or cause anyone any pain. That is the last thing I would ever want to do."

New York State Attorney General Letitia James has opened an investigation into sexual harassment allegations from three women against Cuomo. Anna Ruch, 33; Lindsey Boylan, 36; and Charlotte Bennett, 25, have each come forward independently over the last week to accuse the governor of inappropriate touching and unwanted advances between December 2016 and June 2020.

Boylan, a former staffer in the governor's office, was the first woman to come forward and accuse Cuomo of sexually harassing her in the workplace, including kissing her on the lips without her consent. A few days after Boylan told her story in a blog post, Bennett came forward and told the New York Times that Cuomo had asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, which she interpreted as a sexual advance.

A third accuser, Ruch, says Cuomo made an unwanted advance at a 2019 wedding, touching her in an inappropriate manner.

Cuomo denied the allegations of inappropriate touching, saying he would fully cooperate with investigators and asking the people of New York to refrain from making a judgement before the investigation is completed.

"I ask the people of this state to wait for the facts from the attorney general's report before forming an opinion. Get the facts, please, before forming an opinion, and the attorney general is doing that review, I will fully cooperate, and then you will have the facts and make a decision when you know the facts," Cuomo said.

While fielding follow-up questions from reporters, Cuomo commented on a picture of him putting his hands on Ruch's face at the 2019 wedding, saying that there are "hundreds" of similar pictures and that is "my usual and customary way of greeting people." He added that he hugs and kisses members of the New York legislature.

"It doesn't matter my intent, what matters is if anybody was offended by it," Cuomo said. "And I could intend no offense, but if they were offended by it, then it was wrong. And if they were offended by it, I apologize. And if they were hurt by it, I apologize. And if they felt pain by it, I apologize."

Responding to a question about calls for his resignation from multiple New York lawmakers, Cuomo emphatically stated he will not resign.

"Some politicians will always play politics, right? That's the nature of the beast. I don't think today is the day for politics," Cuomo said, adding that he was elected by the people of New York, not by politicians. "I'm not going to resign."

Andrew Cuomo addresses sexual harassment accusations by saying his 'playful banter' was 'misinterpreted' by accusers



Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally addressed the sexual harassment accusations against him by two women. The governor denied the allegations by his two accusers, and defended himself by saying, "Some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation."

"I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm," the statement released on Sunday evening read.

"At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny," Cuomo said. "I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way."

"I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married," he continued. "I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."

This could be a reference to the allegations by his second accuser, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, who claims that Cuomo asked her if she was romantically involved with someone and if she was monogamous during her relationships.

Cuomo, 63, said he had intended to be a mentor for Bennett.

"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended," Cuomo stated.

He then gave an apology to anyone who "misinterpreted" him, "I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that."

Cuomo said he "never inappropriately touched anybody" and "never propositioned anybody." He added, "I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable."

Bennett told the New York Times, "He also asked me in the same conversation if I had ever been with an older man."

During a discussion about tattoos, Cuomo allegedly suggested that Bennett get the ink on her buttocks so people couldn't see the tattoo if she wore a dress.

Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, alleged that the governor kissed her on the lips without consent, touched her legs, joked about playing strip poker, and the harassment went on for years.

"These are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to," Cuomo said on Sunday. "That's why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations."

Last week, Cuomo hand-picked former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones to carry out the independent investigation into the allegations, but backtracked on Sunday after blowback. Jones was a former law partner to one of Cuomo's closest advisors, Steve Cohen, which could be seen as a conflict of interest.

Cuomo released a new statement saying that New York State Attorney General Letitia James (D) and the chief judge of the court of appeals, Janet DiFiore, would jointly select an "independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation to conduct a thorough review and issue a public report."

"We had selected former Federal Judge Barbara Jones, with a stellar record for qualifications and integrity, but we want to avoid even the perception of a lack of independence or inference of politics," the statement said. "The work product will be solely controlled by that independent lawyer personally selected by the Attorney General and Chief Judge."

James issued her own statement on the independent investigation.

"The state's Executive Law clearly gives my office the authority to investigate this matter once the governor provides a referral," James said. "While I have deep respect for Chief Judge DiFiore, I am the duly elected attorney general and it is my responsibility to carry out this task, per Executive Law. The governor must provide this referral so an independent investigation with subpoena power can be conducted."

As TheBlaze reported, numerous Democrats have called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Cuomo, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Second former aide accuses Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment



A second woman has come forward to accuse New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. Charlotte Bennett told the New York Times that the Democratic governor of New York asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life.

The 25-year-old former aide claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed her last spring.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Bennett told the New York Times. "And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job."

Bennett, who graduated from Hamilton College in 2017, informed Cuomo that she was giving a speech at the school to students about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault.

"The way he was repeating, 'You were raped and abused and attacked and assaulted and betrayed,' over and over again while looking me directly in the eyes was something out of a horror movie," Bennett wrote in a text message to a friend. "It was like he was testing me."

Bennett, who founded a sexual misconduct task force at Hamilton College, alleges that Cuomo was "grooming" her.

Another time while she was alone in Cuomo's office after being asked to take dictation, the governor allegedly asked intimate questions about her personal life. Bennett alleges that Cuomo asked her if she was romantically involved with someone, if she was monogamous in her relationships, and if she had ever had sex with older men.

Bennett texted a friend about the encounter, which she described as "like the most explicit it could be."

She claims that Cuomo told her he was lonely, and said he wanted "a girlfriend, preferably in the Albany area."

"He asked me if I believed if age made a difference in relationships and he also asked me in the same conversation if I had ever been with an older man," Bennett told the New York Times, which published the interview on Saturday night.

Bennett alleges that he noted that "he's fine with anyone above the age of 22."

When Bennett talked about getting a tattoo, she said Cuomo suggested that she get the ink on her buttocks so people couldn't see the tattoo if she wore a dress.

This is the second former aide to accuse Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment in less than a week. Lindsey Boylan accused the governor on Wednesday, claiming that he kissed her on the lips without consent. She claimed that Cuomo harassed her for years, including touching her legs and joking about playing strip poker.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that there should be an independent investigation into the accusations against Cuomo.

The Twitter account belonging to Charlotte Bennett retweeted Boylan's Twitter post accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment, and she added, "For those wondering what it's like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan's story."

For those wondering what it’s like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan’s story. https://t.co/PfWhTJgHuU
— Charlotte Bennett (@Charlotte Bennett)1614184252.0