NY House Democrat calls for Cuomo to resign after latest allegation

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign on Monday night following The New York Times report on a third woman alleging the governor made unwanted sexual advances. 

Anna Ruch, 33, told the Times in an interview published Monday that the governor put his hand on her lower back and then her cheeks asking if he could kiss her at a wedding in 2019. Her allegations come after two former aides to Cuomo have come forward and accused the governor of sexual harassment.

In response to the Times report, Rice tweeted out a link to the article with the text, “The time has come. The Governor must resign.”

Rice joined several New York Democrats and other advocacy groups requesting the governor resign amid the allegations of sexual harassment and of mishandling deaths linked to the state’s nursing homes during the pandemic. 

The time has come. The Governor must resign. https://t.co/GjcvuNfpfQ

— Kathleen Rice (@RepKathleenRice) March 2, 2021

The demands for Cuomo to step down rose after two former aides, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, came forward alleging the governor made unwanted sexual advances in the workplace. 

Boylan said the governor kissed her without her consent, and Bennett told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her personal questions and indicated he was open to relationships with women in their 20s.

Before Ruch’s interview was published, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Cuomo should step down if the allegations were corroborated. 

On Sunday, Cuomo acknowledged the accusations and admitted to times he “may have been insensitive or too personal.” But the governor denied Boylan’s allegation that he kissed her without her consent, saying he “never inappropriately touched anybody.”

“I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” Cuomo said in a statement. “To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said on Monday that she would move forward with launching an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against the governor after receiving a referral letter from his office.