Mary Margaret Olohan
- Women’s March executive director Rachel O’Leary Carmona broke the organization’s silence Monday night on allegations against Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
- Carmona’s comments came after the Daily Caller News Foundation posted a story Monday evening on advocacy groups that backed sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh but have stayed silent as Cuomo faces allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.
- “Conduct like this is despicable from anyone, in any job,” Carmona said of Cuomo, “but coming from the highest office in New York, it’s disqualifying.”
Women’s March executive director Rachel O’Leary Carmona broke the organization’s silence Monday night on allegations against Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Carmona’s comments came after the Daily Caller News Foundation posted a story Monday evening on advocacy groups that backed sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh but have stayed silent as Cuomo faces allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment.
The Women’s March had been silent on Cuomo’s accusers, though it led the charge supporting #METOO allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“In the past week, two former employees, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, have accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment on the job. Tonight, a third woman, Anna Ruch, accused him of making unwanted advances at a wedding,” Carmona tweeted. “Conduct like this is despicable from anyone, in any job — but coming from the highest office in New York, it’s disqualifying.”
A board member from the Women’s March also tweeted about Cuomo’s accusers, calling Cuomo’s behavior “illegal.”
The Women’s March account retweeted Carmona’s tweet. The organization has not issued a statement on the matter and has not returned the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Three women have accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct: Charlotte Bennett, Lindsey Boylan, and Anna Ruch. The governor’s office has denied Boylan’s and Bennett’s allegations but has not yet addressed Ruch’s story.
Charlotte Bennett told the New York Times that the governor asked her about her sex life, asked her whether she practiced monogamy, whether she was interested in older men, and discussed her past sexual assault with her in an uncomfortable manner. Bennett also said that Cuomo suggested he was open to dating women her age and that she believes he was grooming her.
Lindsey Boylan accused the governor of kissing her without her consent during a one-on-one briefing, making her uncomfortable, and making a number of sexually charged comments to her.
Anna Ruch met the New York Democrat at a September 2019 New York City wedding reception, she told the New York Times Monday. Ruch said the governor put his hand on her bare back, moved close to her, told her she was “aggressive” when she removed his hand, placed his hands on her cheeks and asked her if he could kiss her. Her friend later told her that he had kissed her cheek, she said.
In a Sunday evening statement, Cuomo apologized if his actions were “misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm,” he said. “I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.”
“I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way,” Cuomo said. “I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.”
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