New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) denied an accusation of sexual harassment from a former aide and candidate for Manhattan borough president on Monday.
At a press conference detailing the state’s COVID-19 prevention efforts, the governor was questioned by a reporter on a now-viral Twitter thread from Lindsey Boylan, a former special adviser to the governor and economics official with New York state government.
“Yeah, I heard about the tweet, and what it said about comments that I had made,” Cuomo said Monday.
“It’s not true,” he continued. “Look, I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion, and express issues and concerns that she has, but it’s just not true.”
Cuomo’s remarks Monday are his first public comments on the thread from Boylan, posted on Twitter Sunday evening, claiming that the governor “sexually harassed me for years” while not detailing specific allegations. Boylan also added that she “could never anticipate what to expect,” including whether she’d be “grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks.”
“I’m angry to be put in this situation at all. That because I am a woman, I can work hard my whole life to better myself and help others and yet still fall victim as countless women over generations have. Mostly silently,” she added. “I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo, abuse their power.”
A spokesperson for the governor had previously denied the allegation in a statement to The New York Times.
Cuomo has been floated as one of President-elect Joe Biden’s possible picks to lead the Justice Department in recent weeks, which Boylan said Saturday she opposes.
“There are fewer things more scary than giving this man, who exists without ethics, even more control,” she wrote of Cuomo’s consideration for attorney general. “I saw how he wielded power for years. He takes advantage of people, including me.”