BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - A sixth woman has now come forward to claim sexual harassment against Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The Albany Times Union first reported a female aide who claimed she was harassed by Cuomo at the governor's mansion.
The newspaper didn't reveal her identity or detail what type of touching was alleged to have taken place. It did not speak to the woman.
The paper cited "an official close to the matter" as confirming the existence of the complaint.
A supervisor in the governor's office became aware of the new allegation over the weekend, the newspaper reported. The complaint was then reported to the governor's legal counsel and to the office of state Attorney General Letitia James, who is overseeing an investigation into Cuomo's workplace conduct, the newspaper reported.
Cuomo's special counsel, Beth Garvey, also wouldn't confirm the existence of the complaint but said in a statement that "all allegations that we learn of directly or indirectly are going promptly to the investigators appointed by the attorney general."
The attorney general's office declined to comment.
"I'm not aware of any other claim," Governor Cuomo said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference after the report was released. "This is very simple. I never touched anyone inappropriately. As I said last week, I never made any inappropriate advances. No one told me at the time I made them feel uncomfortable."
The governor said he will cooperate with Attorney General Letitia James' investigation.
"The investigation will get the facts," Cuomo said. "Every woman has a right to come forward. Let the investigation get the facts and we'll take it there."
In 2018, Cuomo previously called on former state attorney general Eric Schneiderman to resign over sexual harassment allegations. He was asked about why he's not applying the same standard to himself.
"There's obviously allegations and then there's allegations," Cuomo said. "There's a spectrum of allegations. There's capital crimes. There's physical violence. Down to more minor allegations. I told them what I told you which is I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never made any inappropriate advances. No one ever told me they felt at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable or awkward. Women have a right to come forward. The answer here was let's have an investigation and get the facts on the actual allegations. That's the smart way. You have an allegation, let's find out what the facts were."
Several women who worked in Cuomo's administration have said they were sexually harassed or subjected to demeaning behavior by the governor.
A former economic development director, Lindsey Boylan, said Cuomo commented on her looks, summoned her to unnecessary meetings, joked that they should play strip poker and once kissed her on the lips at the end of a meeting.
A onetime aide, Charlotte Bennett, said the governor told her he was looking or a girlfriend, and asked her about her sex life and whether she would be open to a relationship with an older man.
Another former aide, Ana Liss, said Cuomo kissed her on the hand and cheek and made flirtatious comments that didn't initially bother her, but which she came later to see as patronizing and improper in a work environment.
Cuomo has acknowledged asking people personal questions and teasing them in what he thought of as playful banter, and only later realized was making women uncomfortable.
