Cuomo On New Sexual Harassment Accusations: 'I Will Not Resign'

NEW YORK — New York State Gov. Andrew Gov. Cuomo, speaking on new accusations of sexual harassment by two additional women, said on Sunday that he will not resign and he will not be "distracted" by the allegations while New York State Attorney General Letitia James is reviewing the facts.

According to the New York Post, two additional aides came forward Saturday: Former press aide Karen Hinton accused Cuomo of a "very long, too long, too tight, too intimate" embrace in a hotel room in 2000, when Cuomo headed up the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Ana Liss, an aide from 2013 to 2015, reported that Cuomo called her “sweetheart," asked if she had a boyfriend, touched her on her lower back at a reception, and kissed her hand while she was rising from her desk, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

During a press call Sunday, Cuomo said some legislators are suggesting he resign "because of accusations made against me."

Cuomo said resigning because of allegations is "anti-democratic. We've always done the exact opposite; the system is based on due process. Anyone has the ability to make accusations but it's the credibility of the allegations."

Cuomo said normally such accusations are private. "It's damaging to publicize allegations before you know that the story is credible," he said, adding that the attorney general's office will commence the independent review of the accusations and ensure due process. "Because that's democracy. So, no, there is no way I resign," he said.

The attorney general will issue findings and then, "we will go from there," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said he was elected by the people and there is much work to be done with a state budget due in three weeks. "This is not about me and accusations about me — the attorney general can handle that. This is about doing the people's business," Cuomo said.

When asked about lawmakers in his own party calling for his resignation, Cuomo said: "I have a newsflash for you: There is politics in politics."

Cuomo added that, with much work to be done: "I am not going to get distracted by this. It is all irrelevant" until the AG's report is issued and facts are reviewed, he said.

Cuomo also said while all women have a right to come forward, Hinton has been "a longtime political adversary of mine, highly critical for many, many years."

Of Liss' accusations, Cuomo said he takes photos at hundreds of events, but he never meant to make "anyone feel uncomfortable in any way. If customs change, I'll change my customs and behavior."

On Wednesday, a subdued Cuomo apologized after a third woman accused him of sexual harassment this week — but said he will not resign.

"I now fully understand that I acted in a way that made people uncomfortable," Cuomo said during his first news briefing since the accusations were made public. "It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and frankly, I am embarrassed by it. That's not easy to say, and that's the truth.

"I never touched anyone inappropriately ... I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable and I certainly never, ever meant to offend or hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. That is the last thing I would ever want to do."

Calls for the governor's resignation have intensified, with some, including lawmakers, saying the sexual harassment accusations and ongoing controversy over nursing home deaths affect his ability to govern.

According to CNBC, lawmakers signed a bill Friday to "significantly" strip Cuomo of his coronavirus emergency powers.

Cuomo said he will "fully cooperate" with an investigation into the sexual harassment claims by state James.

The third woman — Anna Ruch, 33 — told The New York Times she met Cuomo at a 2019 wedding and he placed his hand on her lower back. Ruch told The Times she immediately took Cuomo's hand away, prompting the governor to call her "aggressive" and place his hands on her cheeks.

"He said, 'Can I kiss you?'" Ruch said, according to The Times. "I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed when really he is the one who should have been embarrassed."

The exchange was captured in a photo included a Times story Monday.

Cuomo said there are hundreds of photos of him touching women, men and children in a similar way and that kissing and hugging are his "usual and customary way of greeting."

"It was my father's way of greeting," he said. "You want people to feel comfortable, to reach out to them."

He said if people were offended and "felt pain from it, then it was wrong and I apologize."

Ruch's account followed sexual harassment claims by former Cuomo aides Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett.