A former member of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration who previously accused him of sexual harassment offered new details on Wednesday, saying he once kissed her on the lips without consent after a private meeting.
Lindsey Boylan said that during her more than three years working as an economic adviser in the administration, Cuomo “would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs”, compared her to one of his rumored ex-girlfriends and once joked they should play strip poker.
Boylan, a Democrat running for Manhattan borough president, wrote in a post on the website Medium that the kiss happened after she gave Cuomo a one-on-one briefing on economic and infrastructure projects in his New York City office.
“As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips. I was in shock, but I kept walking,” she said.
“The idea that someone might think I held my high-ranking position because of the Governor’s ‘crush’ on me was more demeaning than the kiss itself.” She confirmed that she had posted the blog, but did not respond to a request for further comment.
Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, tweeted in December that Cuomo sexually harassed her, but she didn’t reveal details and declined interview requests.
At the time, Cuomo denied that he did anything inappropriate. “Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has,” Cuomo told reporters. “But it’s just not true.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Caitlin Girouard, said on Wednesday that all of Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false”.
Boylan said she initially spoke up about her experiences because of reports Cuomo was being considered as Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general. She decided to elaborate, she wrote, because she hoped it would empower other women to come forward. The more detailed account of her allegations against Cuomo comes amid mounting criticism about the work culture around the three-term governor and how he wields his power.
The legislature’s two top leaders criticized Cuomo’s conduct on Wednesday as calls grew for an investigation into Cuomo’s workplace conduct.
“I have read the reports,” the assembly speaker, Carl Heastie, said. “These are serious allegations. Harassment in the workplace of any kind should not be tolerated.”
The state senate leader, Andrea Stewart Cousins, a Democrat, who is pushing to increase legislative oversight over Cuomo’s emergency powers, said Boylan’s account disturbed her.
“This is deeply disturbing,” Stewart Cousins said. “Clearly, there is no place for this type of behavior in the workplace or anywhere else.”
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