White House offers support for N.Y. attorney general probe of Cuomo sexual harassment claims
President Biden believes Gov. Cuomo’s sexual harassment accusers should be treated with “respect” and backs New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into the unsettling claims, a White House spokeswoman said Monday.
Jen Psaki, Biden’s press secretary, offered the president’s support for James during a briefing at the White House that came one day after the state attorney general got clearance to conduct an independent inquiry into harassment accusations made by ex-Cuomo aides Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett.
“The New York attorney general will oversee an independent investigation. We certainly support that process and we’ll wait to see that through,” Psaki told reporters. “We certainly believe that every woman coming forward — Charlotte, Lindsey — should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to tell their story.”
Bennett, who worked as a public health adviser in Cuomo’s administration, alleged in an article published by the New York Times over the weekend that the governor made frequent sexual overtures, including asking whether she’d ever been with an older man.
Referencing the report, Psaki said, “That story was incredibly uncomfortable to read as a woman.”
Bennett’s accusations came after Boylan, a former economic adviser to Cuomo, alleged last week that the governor sexually harassed her and once forcibly kissed her in his office.
Cuomo has denied any inappropriate touching, but apologized in a statement Sunday for making “jokes” that get “misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” apparently giving credence to some of the accusations from Boylan and Bennett. As part of the qualified apology, Cuomo also gave James the green light for an independent investigation after at first proposing that a former federal judge conduct it.
The governor, who’s also under fire for his administration’s alleged cover-up of coronavirus deaths at the state’s nursing homes, has faced calls for his resignation in the wake of the swirling scandals.
In her briefing, Psaki declined to say if Biden believes Cuomo should resign, but suggested his alleged conduct would not be tolerated in the White House.
“The president has a bar for what is expected in his administration: Treating people with civility, treating people with respect, and that’s what bar he holds,” she said.
