Story at a glance
- The transcripts of interviews with 10 women accusing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment were released Wednesday by state Attorney General Letitia James.
- The women told investigators Cuomo asked them inappropriate questions at work and subjected them to unwanted touching.
- Cuomo shot back at his accusers in his own interview, the transcript of which was also released Wednesday.
Ten women accusing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct told investigators he frequently commented on their appearance, asked them about their sex lives and subjected them to unwanted touching, according to transcripts of their testimonies released Wednesday.
Brittany Commisso, whose groping allegation led to criminal charges being filed against Cuomo last month, said in a May interview with investigators that she often wore pants to the office and Cuomo on more than one occasion told her to “show some leg.”
“I wore a dress with a blazer and he instantly noticed that I was wearing a dress and said, ‘Oh, it’s about time that you showed off some leg,’ ” she said.
“When I walked into the room, he would look me up and down,” she added. “He had this way of making me feel like he was checking me out.”
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Commisso, 32, also recalled the alleged assault at Cuomo’s former residence, the executive Mansion in Albany, telling investigators Cuomo, 63, unexpectedly put his hand over her bra. She said the incident occurred after countless other inappropriate interactions with Cuomo, including hugs so tight “I could feel him pushing my body against his and definitely making sure that he could feel my breasts up against his body.”
The transcripts of interviews with nine other women, several of whom are unnamed, were released Wednesday by state Attorney General Letitia James, who led the probe into Cuomo and published a damning report in August that found he had sexually harassed multiple women, ultimately leading to his resignation several days later. Each of the women spoke with outside counsel hired by James.
Former Cuomo aide Charlotte Bennett, 25, told investigators Cuomo routinely asked her inappropriate questions at work, including if she had ever slept with older men. He also asked about her past as a sexual assault survivor, she said.
The transcript of Cuomo’s own interview was also released Wednesday by James.
The former governor doubled down on his claims that the accusations were false, telling investigators he would have had to have lost his mind to “do such a thing.”
“It would be an act of insanity to touch a woman’s breast and make myself vulnerable to a woman for such an accusation,” he said.
Cuomo also shot back at his accusers during his 11-hour interview, dismissing one as “fragile” and another as “flirtatious” and a “gossip hotline.”
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Published on Nov 11,2021