Calls for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation intensified Tuesday morning after a third woman came forward, accusing him of offensive behavior.
Anna Ruch, 33, said the governor touched her face and back and asked to kiss her moments after they met at a 2019 wedding reception.
The New York Times reports that Anna Ruch said Cuomo put his hands on her lower back, and when she removed them, she said he seemed “aggressive” and put his hands on her cheeks and asked if he could kiss her.
“I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,” Ruch told the Times, which published a photo of the encounter showing the governor’s hands on her face. “I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment.”
An email seeking comment was sent to Ruch’s photography business. Her social media accounts were private. An email was also sent to Cuomo’s administration for comment.
The account from Ruch, who worked as a photographer at the White House during President Barack Obama’s second term, made her the second woman to accuse Cuomo of touching her without permission, and fueled broader calls for Cuomo to step down, including from some in his own party.
Meantime, a former aide accusing Governor Cuomo of sexual harassment condemned him as a manipulative predator, rejecting an attempted apology in which he excused his behavior as “playful.”
Charlotte Bennett, a low-level aide in the governor’s administration until November, said Cuomo asked questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men, and made other comments she interpreted as gauging her interest in an affair.
“The governor has refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for his predatory behavior,” she said in response to his comments. “As we know, abusers – particularly those with tremendous amounts of power – are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations, blame victims, deny wrongdoing and escape consequences. It took the governor 24 hours and significant backlash to allow for a truly independent investigation. These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood; they are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice.”
Her statement on Monday came as New York’s independently elected attorney general said she was moving ahead with an investigation into sexual harassment allegations that Bennett and another woman, former aide Lindsey Boylan, have lodged against Cuomo.
Boylan, a former economic development adviser, elaborated on harassment allegations she first made in December. Boylan said Cuomo subjected her to an unwanted kiss and comments about her appearance.
Bennett’s statement came hours before Ruch made her statement.
Cuomo has formally referred the case of his alleged sexual harassment involving the aides to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a necessary step to commence an investigation with subpoena power.
The referral also allows James to deputize an outside law firm for “a rigorous and independent investigation.”
The New York Attorney General’s office has read Anna Ruch’s account in the New York Times and will decide whether to incorporate it into the just-launched investigation into the governor’s conduct. Her account is distinct from the prior two in that Ruch did not work for Cuomo.
On Twitter, Bennett wrote “I stand with Anna Ruch. Anna – I hear you, I see you. I’m so sorry. His inappropriate and aggressive behavior cannot be justified or normalized. Thank you for your courage and strength. Here for you always.”
Cuomo acknowledged for the first time Sunday that some of his behavior with women “may have been insensitive or too personal,” and said he would cooperate with the investigation.
Cuomo, 63, said he had intended to be a mentor for Bennett, who is 25. He has denied Boylan’s allegations.
In a statement released amid mounting criticism from within his own party, the Democrat maintained he had never inappropriately touched or propositioned anyone. But he said he had teased people about their personal lives in an attempt to be “playful.”
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended,” he said. “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both Democrats, agreed that the attorney general should handle the investigation.
Republican leaders had, for days, called on James to launch a probe. On Sunday, Republican state Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt called on Cuomo to resign.
Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-NY, appears to be the first New York Democrat in Congress now calling on Cuomo to resign.
New York’s two U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both said an independent investigation was essential.
“These allegations are serious and deeply concerning,” Gillibrand said. “As requested by Attorney General James, the matter should be referred to her office so that she can conduct a transparent, independent and thorough investigation with subpoena power.”
Cuomo’s statement that women had misinterpreted comments that were intended to be jokes was met with outrage from some people, who said he appeared to be blaming the women.
“Is it ‘playful’ to touch one’s employees’ legs & kiss them on the lips against their will? Bc better men than A Cuomo have been fired for that,” tweeted former Fox News and NBC journalist Megyn Kelly, whose sexual harassment allegations against late Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes helped lead to his ouster.
The furor comes amid a new round of criticism over Cuomo’s leadership style and actions his administration took to protect his reputation as a leader in the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuomo won praise as a strong hand during last spring’s crisis of rising case counts and overflowing morgues. His book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published in October.
But in recent weeks his administration was forced to revise its count of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes following criticism that it had undercounted the fatalities to blunt accusations that some of his administration’s policies had made the situation worse.
James fueled some of that criticism by issuing a report saying the Cuomo administration had undercounted deaths.
Now, his support is eroding faster.
On Monday, ABC News learned that Cuomo had hired New York City attorney Elkan Abramowitz to represent the executive chamber in the federal investigation into nursing home death data.
“My firm and I are representing the Executive Chamber on the Nursing Home matter. We have not been retained on the sexual harassment matter,” Abramowitz said.
