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In this image taken from video from the Office of the NY Governor, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Albany, N.Y.
Office of the NY Governor via AP
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said he was “sorry for whatever pained I caused” three women who say he sexually harassed them.
Cuomo also said he will not resign over the scandal, and asked the public to reserve judgment as New York Attorney General Letitia James oversees an investigation of the allegations by the women, two of whom were his aides.
“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable,” Cuomo said at a press conference. “It was unintentional.”
“And I truly and deeply apologize for it.”
“I’m not going to resign,” Cuomo said. “I work for the people of New York.”
“I’m going to do the job the people of the state elected me to.”
Cuomo was first accused last week by former aide Lindsey Boylan of kissing her without her consent, and of suggesting a game of “strip poker” aboard an official flight.
Within days, another former aide, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that Cuomo, who is 63, last year asked her questions including whether she “had ever been with an older man,” whether she was monogamous in her relationships and other personal questions that made her feel uncomfortable.
On Monday, The Times published claims by another woman, Anna Ruch, who said that Cuomo, whom she did not know, put his hand on her bare lower back at a wedding, and then told her she seemed “aggressive” as he cupped her face with his hands. Ruch said Cuomo then asked if he could kiss her.
A photo of an uncomfortable-looking Ruch with Cuomo holding her face accompanied that article.
Ruch’s account increased the number of people who have called on Cuomo to resign, among them Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York.
Cuomo last weekend tried to control who would investigate the allegations by Boylan and Bennett, saying that a former federal judge would do the job. The governor then sought to have the state’s top judge oversee the probe in conjunction with James.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
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