2nd former aide accuses Cuomo of sexual harrassment
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he was being 'playful' amid new allegations. New York State Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo weighs in.
A second former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against the embattled Democrat, prompting the mainstream media to far more aggressively cover the scandal that previously received scant attention.
Media Research Center news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro pondered whether the "dam [was] finally broken" when a Saturday New York Times report detailed ex-Cuomo administration executive assistant and health policy adviser Charlotte Bennett’s claim the governor once "asked her questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men."
The bombshell accusations were covered by most mainstream outlets after claims by Cuomo’s previous accuser were largely ignored.
Former administration aide Lindsey Boylan came forward on Wednesday with explosive claims against the governor, whose younger brother, Chris Cuomo, is CNN’s most-watched anchor. She said the governor asked her to play "strip poker," made a lewd reference to Bill Clinton’s infamous use of cigars, touched her lower back and kissed her on the lips. But the mainstream media largely avoided the allegations, as CNN skipped it for the first 24 hours. MSNBC, ABC’s "World News Tonight," CBS’ "Evening News" and NBC’s "Nightly News" ignored Boylan’s claims on the day the news broke, too.
When CNN finally broke its silence, the hyper-partisan network was criticized for focusing on Cuomo’s denial, as ABC said the governor "joked" about wanting to play strip poker.
NY GOV. CUOMO ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT FOR 2ND TIME
After the liberal networks essentially shielded viewers from Boylan’s claims, Fondacaro pointed out that Bennett’s allegations "shocked and disgusted" personalities on ABC and NBC. While CNN even covered the second accuser with more respectability than the brief mentions Boylan received, Fondacaro felt the media could quickly brush the story under the rug again if liberals decide to protect Cuomo.
"It might be cliché, but only time will tell how much pressure the liberal media will put on Cuomo and how long the story stays in the cycle," Fondacaro wrote.
Bennett described to the Times an incident that took place in June when she was "alone" with the 63-year-old governor in his State Capitol office. According to the report, he allegedly asked her if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships and that he was open to having relationships with women in their 20s, which were noted by the Times as "comments she interpreted as clear overtures to a sexual relationship."
While Bennett alleges that Cuomo never tried touching her, the governor's "message" during that exchange was "unmistakable to her."
"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared," Bennett told the Times. "And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job."
In a press release on Saturday, Cuomo called Bennett a "hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID" who has "every right to speak out."
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"When she came to me and opened up about being a sexual assault survivor and how it shaped her and her ongoing efforts to create an organization that empowered her voice to help other survivors, I tried to be supportive and helpful," Cuomo said in a statement, which was issued to the Times. "Ms. Bennett's initial impression was right: I was trying to be a mentor to her. I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported."
Cuomo's office denied Boylan's harassment claims, calling them "simply false" and insisting the strip poker comment "did not happen."
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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