On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report confirming Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and even retailed against a worker who publicly complained about his conduct in the workplace. The report also revealed that Cuomo’s employees were subjected to a hostile and fear-driven work environment.
“This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law,” NY AG James said in a statement.
CNBC reports:
The monthslong probe concluded that Cuomo “sexually harassed multiple women, and in doing so violated federal and state law,” James said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
The 165-page report, which comprises interviews with 179 witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of documents, also said that Cuomo’s office was riddled with fear and intimidation, and was a hostile work environment for many staffers.
Cuomo harassed members of his own staff, members of the public and other state employees, one of whom was a state trooper, the report alleges.
The findings reveal “a deeply disturbing, yet clear, picture,” James said, describing Cuomo’s office as “a toxic workplace.”
James began her probe into multiple women’s allegations against the Democrat governor in March.
Cuomo has continued to defend himself against the mountain of allegations but it seems he’s finally run out of luck. In March he said “I never harassed anyone, I never assaulted anyone, I never abused anyone,” before saying he would not resign from office.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have each renewed calls for the governor to resign from office. New York Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Cuomo to resign. (per The Hill)
“Today’s report from the New York state attorney general substantiated and corroborated the allegations of the brave women who came forward to share their stories — and we commend the women for doing so,” Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement.
“No elected official is above the law. The people of New York deserve better leadership in the governor’s office. We continue to believe that the governor should resign,” they added.
Gillibrand, a leading advocate on combating sexual harassment, earlier in the day told reporters that the findings of the state attorney general were “deeply, deeply disturbing.”
“As I’ve said before, these allegations are deeply disturbing, and I’m just reading the report now, and the factual evidence along with the fact that these facts have been corroborated, the fact that there are 11 women coming forward is deeply, deeply disturbing,” she said. “As I said already, these actions [are] inappropriate for the governor of New York state.”
Read the New York Attorney General’s full report here:
2021-08-03-Nyag-Investigative-Report
