Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett says governor asked about previous sexual assault

Charlotte Bennett, a former aide of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), says the governor asked her about her previous experiences with sexual assault.

During an interview on CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell that aired Thursday, Bennett shared that the governor started asking about her love life on May 15, and repeated her history as a sexual assault survivor.

“So he goes, ‘You were raped. You were raped and abused and assaulted,’” Bennett said.

Bennett also said an encounter occurred on June 5 when she was called into his office to take dictation. Cuomo allegedly told her to turn off the tape recorder, and then he explained that he was looking for a girlfriend and he’s lonely.

“He asked if I had trouble enjoying being with someone because of my trauma,” Bennett said. “The governor asked if I was sensitive to intimacy.” 

CUOMO ACCUSER SPEAKS OUT: In her first television interview, Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, speaks with @NorahODonnell about her allegations of sexual harassment against the governor, providing the most detailed account yet from one of Cuomo’s accusers. pic.twitter.com/MOS0iViBfw

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 4, 2021

Bennet, 25, previously told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her several personal questions when they were alone, and suggested that he was opening to having relationships with women in their 20s.

Speaking to O’Donnell about that encounter, Bennett said Cuomo, 63, asked her if age difference mattered and explained that “he was fine with anyone over 22.”

Bennett also shared with CBS News text messages that she sent to a friend immediately after the encounter. The text read “talked about age differences in relationships.”

When the friend asked if Cuomo did something, Bennett replied “no but it was like the most explicit it could be.”

Cuomo apologized on Wednesday after Bennett and two other women accused the governor of making inappropriate comments towards them. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is currently investigating the accusations against Cuomo as the governor faces calls for his resignation.