Cuomo scandal: sexual harassment rife in New York state capitol, female reporters say

Female reporters have said that sexual harassment is “as pervasive as air” in New York’s statehouse in Albany, amid Governor Andrew Cuomo’s harassment scandal.

Cuomo is facing allegations that he sexually harassed or behaved inappropriately towards several women, including former employees and at least one reporter. The claims include making the workplace uncomfortable for young women and one Cuomo aide accused him of groping her.

Cuomo has resisted calls for his resignation, denied the misconduct allegations and said he has never touched a woman inappropriately.

Female journalists who covered New York politics said the behavior described by former staffers is in keeping with what they experienced while reporting on his administration.

Last week, journalist Jessica Bakeman, who covered the New York statehouse, wrote an essay for New York Magazine accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment and said that his departure from office “will not end the legacy of sexual harassment in Albany”.

Bakeman described numerous instances of Cuomo touching her inappropriately during her years in Albany and said she was only able to speak out because she now worked in Florida.

“It wasn’t about sex,” Bakeman wrote. “It was about power. He wanted me to know that I was powerless, that I was small and weak, that I did not deserve what relative power I had: a platform to hold him accountable for his words and actions.”

Laura Nahmias, a New York Daily News editorial board member, tweeted that sexual harassment “was as pervasive as air” in Albany.

The Daily Beast spoke to women currently covering the statehouse, who asked not to be named, and they described a “hyper-masculine” environment in the statehouse.

“It’s almost like women like me are the earlobe of the press corps,” one correspondent told the Daily Beast. “Just unnecessary; something that he has to deal with but doesn’t necessarily think about a lot.”

New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, is investigating the claims against Cuomo. The state’s two Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have called for his resignation.

In an interview that aired on Wednesday, Joe Biden said Cuomo should resign if the state attorney general’s investigation confirms the allegation.

“It takes a lot of courage to come forward so the presumption is it should be taken seriously,” Biden said. “And it should be investigated, and that’s what’s under way now.”