New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being considered as Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, but this could be hampered by new sexual harassment accusations that are putting him back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
The allegations surfaced shortly after an unnamed person with knowledge of the attorney general search process confirmed to the Associated Press that Cuomo was under consideration as one of four contenders for the role.
Former aide Lindsey Boylanhas accused the governor of sexually harassing her “for years.”
Other contenders for the attorney general role include federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Alabama Senator Doug Jones, Newsweek reported.
The former aide is now a Democratic candidate for Manhattan borough president. She made the allegations about Andrew Cuomo on Twitter.
“Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years,” Boylan wrote. “Many saw it, and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.
“Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it,” Boylan continued. “No one. And I *know* I am not the only woman.”
Boylan describes herself as a progressive on her Twitter account. She worked for the governor’s administration from 2015 to 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Jonathan Turley, a legal analyst and professor at the George Washington University Law School, told Newsweek, “This allegation may knock Cuomo out of contention for Attorney General. It is hard to evaluate such claims but there may not be time to resolve it before the pick is made.”
Until March 2018, Boylan worked for Empire State Development, which is the state’s economic development public-benefit organization. After that she became deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Cuomo, Fox News reported.
Cuomo’s office told Fox News that he denies Boylan’s claims.
The governor has been accused of making sexual remarks in the past. At a 2017 event, he instructed a female reporter to eat a whole sausage while he watched, Jezebel reported. It was caught on video.
“Will you eat the whole sandwich?” he asked Beth Cefalu, who at the time was a journalist for New York’s NewsChannel 9, while she stood behind the camera. Cuomo then beckoned to someone and Cefalu then handed a plate filled with sausage and beans.
“I wanna see you eat the whole sausage,” Cuomo told her.
“I don’t know if I should eat the whole sausage in front of you, but I’m definitely gonna eat it,” she answered.
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In addition to dealing with Boylan’s claims, Cuomo recently faced criticism over the state’s surge in covid cases. His critics complained that Cuomo was too busy promoting his new book to notice.
Cuomo released his memoir, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” in October during which time New York saw a major spike in cases, The Daily Mail reported.
