New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday denied allegations that he inappropriately touched a woman, but he called the reported account of a new accuser “gut-wrenching.”
On Tuesday, the Albany Times Union reported that a sixth woman had levelled allegations of inappropriate behavior against Cuomo, accusing him of touching her without her consent at the governor’s mansion.
The newspaper on Wednesday reported allegations that Cuomo reached under the female staffer’s blouse and fondled her. The newspaper cited an unnamed source.
“As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this,” Cuomo said in a statement to NBC News.
“The details of this report are gut-wrenching,” the governor said. “I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the Attorney General’s report.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James has appointed two attorneys, including a former acting U.S. attorney, to lead an independent investigation.
The Times Union reported that the woman has not filed a formal complaint with the governor’s office.
The newspaper reported that her allegations were reported to the governor’s counsel by other employees in the executive chamber, and that the information was also relayed by the governor’s office to the office of the attorney general.
On March 3, staff members watched a news conference in which the governor denied touching anyone inappropriately and when the female staffer became upset, a female supervisor came to her aid and the staffer later told her what allegedly occurred, according to the Times Union.
The woman is the sixth to reportedly accuse Cuomo of inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment.
Not all of the women have accused the governor of touching them.
Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately, but he has acknowledged he acted in ways that made people feel uncomfortable. The governor said that was unintentional and apologized.
Despite calls to resign, Cuomo has said he will not step down.
On Sunday state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, also a Democrat, called for him to leave office.
And on Monday, Republican state lawmakers, who are in the minority, introduced a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings.
NBC News has not verified the account of the sixth accuser whose claims have been reported by the Times Union.
The woman in that case had reportedly been summoned to the governor’s mansion to assist him with a minor technical issue involving his mobile phone.
A person described as being briefed on the matter told the newspaper that the woman told Cuomo to stop, and that the broader allegations include that the governor frequently engaged in flirtatious behavior with her.
