NY Gov. Cuomo accused of sexual harassment for 2nd time

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Cuomo facing harassment allegations, nursing home cover-up accusations

Bryan Llenas reports on the two controversies the New York governor is facing.

A second former aide to Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, which came just days after his first accuser made her claims public. 

Charlotte Bennett, who is described by The New York Times as "an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until she left in November," alleges that Cuomo "asked her questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men."

GOV. CUOMO ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY FORMER AIDE

The 25-year-old staffer 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."

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"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."

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According to the Times, Bennett disclosed the incident to Cuomo's chief of staff Jill DesRosiers less than a week later and submitted a lengthier statement to Cuomo's special counsel Judith Mogul towards the end of the month. She was also transferred to another job as a health policy adviser, placing her on the opposite side of the Capitol building. 

Bennett told the Times she didn't persist in seeking an investigation because she "wanted to move on" and that she was content with her new job.

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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."

"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 added that he will "have no further comment" until a "full and thorough outside review" of Bennett's claims is conducted and concluded. 

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As the Times noted in its report, Cuomo did not deny Bennett's claims about asking such personal questions. 

Cuomo's special counsel Beth Garvey also released a statement, which read,  "Ms. Bennett's concerns were treated with sensitivity and respect and in accordance with applicable law and policy. The matter was promptly escalated to special counsel. Ms. Bennett received the transfer she requested to a position in which she had expressed a long-standing interest, and was thoroughly debriefed on the facts which did not include a claim of physical contact or inappropriate sexual conduct. She was consulted regarding the resolution, and expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the way in which it was handled."

"The determination reached based on the information Ms. Bennett provided was that no further action was required which was consistent with Ms. Bennett's wishes."

CNN GOES HOURS WITHOUT COVERING NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ANDREW CUOMO

Fox News reached out to Bennett and DesRosiers for comment. 

Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo's first accuser, expressed her support for Bennett. 

"I am with you Charlotte. We are with you. Always," Boylan wrote. "I am so proud of you Charlotte."

Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and a special adviser to Cuomo, published a bombshell essay Wednesday on the website Medium. She accused the governor of going "out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs," forcibly kissing her on the lips during a one-on-one briefing, and suggesting that they "play strip poker" during a plane ride. 

Cuomo's office denied Boylan's harassment claims, calling them "simply false" and insisting the strip poker comment "did not happen."

Meanwhile, the prominent Democrat is also facing a growing scandal over his controversial policy of ordering COVID-positive patients into nursing homes in the early months of the pandemic and is now reportedly facing investigations by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney over an alleged cover-up of nursing home deaths in his state.  

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CNN, the home network of Cuomo's kid brother Chris Cuomo, has given the governor unprecedented cover in downplaying his various scandals. The far-left network previously gave developments into his nursing home controversy little to no airtime -- and allowed the "Cuomo Prime Time" anchor free rein to conduct friendly, comical interviews with the embattled Democrat in the early months of the pandemic. CNN also went roughly 24 hours without acknowledging Boylan's damning sexual harassment claims after she came forward. 

Cuomo himself appeared to offer a holier than thou stance during the contentious 2018 confirmation battle of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. As President Trump's SCOTUS nominee faced allegations of sexual misconduct, Cuomo suggested that he take a "polygraph test" like his prominent accuser Dr. Christine Blasey Ford did. 

"If he does not take a polygraph test, it is the ultimate, ‘he said, she said,'" Cuomo said at the time.