Cuomo Accuser Says His Claim of Being ‘Misinterpreted’ Is BS
NOT GOOD ENOUGH
A former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment this week says she isn’t buying his claim that he was simply “misinterpreted” during a conversation in his office between the two of them. In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell late Thursday, Charlotte Bennett said the statement Cuomo issued on Wednesday that he was “truly sorry” to anyone who had “misinterpreted” his comments as “unwanted flirtation” fell far short. “The fact is that he was sexually harassing me and he has not apologized for sexually harassing me. And he can’t even use my name,” she said. “I understood him loud and clear. It just didn’t go the way he planned,” she said. Bennett joins two other women in accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment. The 25-year-old has accused the governor of asking her inappropriate questions about her sex and private life and making suggestive comments that she said made clear he was “trying to sleep with me.” Cuomo has vowed to cooperate with an independent investigation and denied the allegations. He said he feels “terrible that these people felt uncomfortable” from interactions with him. Though he has faced criticism on two fronts in recent weeks over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in nursing homes and the sexual harassment allegations against him, he has refused to step down.