‘Sexual harassment is not funny’: De Blasio shreds Cuomo explanation of conduct toward women staffers
Mayor de Blasio on Monday gave a fiery denunciation of Gov. Cuomo’s attempted explanation of his treatment of women ex-staffers who accused him of sexual harassment.
“Sexual harassment is not funny. Who the hell tries to explain sexual harassment by saying he was just joking around?” he said on Hot 97.
“There may be more stories like it. Everyone should come forward,” de Blasio added.
Facing an unprecedented crisis for his administration, Cuomo on Sunday night issued a qualified apology to women who accused him of harassment and attempted to blame his conduct on a work culture in which “sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny.”
“That even further confirms a mindset from a whole nother time that we have left behind that’s unacceptable,” de Blasio said of Cuomo’s statement.
Speaking at a press conference later Monday, the mayor joined calls from a growing number of New York Democrats for Cuomo to leave office if the allegations are proven.
“If someone purposefully tried to use their power to force a woman to have sex with them, of course that person should no longer be in public service,” Hizzoner said.
Cuomo’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Saturday, the New York Times published allegations from former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett saying the governor had asked her questions about her sex life including whether she had ever “been with an older man,” stating: “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me.”
“If that was what truly happened, it was like he was treating her like he was her property — just disgusting, creepy,” de Blasio said. “When I heard it, it sickened me, it disgusted me, but it also sounded like yeah, I could believe that happening, too. And that’s why we need a full investigation.”
The officials have had a testy relationship throughout their time in office, clashing over shelter-in-place orders and eligibility criteria for vaccinations during the coronavirus outbreak.
Bennet’s account came days after another former Cuomo staffer, Lindsey Boylan, wrote that the governor would often touch her inappropriately, make her uncomfortable at work and once kissed her on the lips without her consent.
Cuomo claimed he “never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”
His office said Sunday it would refer the matter to Attorney General Letitia James so she could hire an outside investigator with subpoena power. He backtracked on his original selection for the probe, a former judge viewed as close to his administration.
On Monday morning, de Blasio also repeated calls for an investigation of the nursing home scandal in which Cuomo has come under fire for withholding data for months on the number of elderly people who died of COVID at the sites.
“Did a huge amount of contributions from the nursing home industry have anything to do with this?” de Blasio said. “We’ve got to truly figure out what happened to these seniors. Could they have been saved and why were the decisions made?”
