NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Mayor Bill de Blasio is blasting Gov. Andrew Cuomo's apology following allegations of sexual harassment by two former female staffers.
The governor sought to stem the political fallout by issuing a statement Sunday, saying he "never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm" and was “truly sorry” if anything he said was “misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation."
The statement came after Charlotte Bennett, a low-level aide in the governor’s administration until November, told the New York Times that Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men.
Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, recently accused Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments.
In his statement, the governor said, "At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. 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."
Cuomo went on to say that some of his behavior "may have been insensitive or too personal."
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"I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that," Cuomo said. "To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable."
The mayor said the governor's apology doesn't cut it.
"That's not an apology. He seemed to be saying, 'Oh, I was just kidding around.' You know, sexual harassment is not funny, it's serious, it has to be taken seriously," de Blasio said at his daily briefing Monday. "He just clearly was letting himself off the hook for something that for the women involved sounded pretty terrifying."
Earlier during an appearance on Hot 97, de Blasio said there needs to be a full investigation. He said if the allegations are true, it's as if Cuomo was treating his staffers like they were his property.
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The mayor said he was "sickened" by the allegations and described the governor's alleged behavior as "disgusting" and "creepy."
De Blasio said if others were harassed by Cuomo, they should come forward.
"We need the whole truth of what happened and we need to make sure it never happens again," de Blasio said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James will look into the allegations.
Cuomo had tried to hand pick someone to look into the claims, but gave James the go-ahead to appoint an independent investigator with subpoena powers.
James on Monday issued a statement after the executive chamber issued a referral letter granting her request to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo.
“Today, the executive chamber transmitted a referral letter to our office, providing us the authority to move forward with an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment claims made against Governor Cuomo. This is not a responsibility we take lightly as allegations of sexual harassment should always be taken seriously. As the letter states, at the close of the review, the findings will be disclosed in a public report.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is backing the independent investigation into Cuomo, saying that the charges are credible and the accusers "deserve to be heard and to be treated with dignity."
The Wall Street Journal reports Elkan Abramowitz, a high-powered criminal and civil defense attorney, is now representing Cuomo in the investigation into the administration's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes. His previous clients include Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen.
Bennett meanwhile has hired D.C. attorney Debra Katz, who represented Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of abusing her.
Meanwhile, a group of former Albany staffers is calling for the governor's resignation.
Rita Pasarell, a co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, said Cuomo's apology doesn't admit wrongdoing.
"It's not funny, it's not a joke, it is not funny to abuse your staff and it's just really an unfortunate thing that we're seeing from the governor instead of actually accountability," Pasarell said. "If you look at the statement, he doesn't say anything is going to go differently in the future. This is just one of the reasons I don't think he deserves to have staff or belong in power. It would be different if he were somehow committing to that, but he is clearly not."
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Pasarell said the governor's statement apologizes for his accusers' feelings and not for his behavior.
Across the Hudson, Gov. Phil Murphy says the accusations are deeply concerning and deeply troubling.
"It appears as though they're going to have an independent investigation and that to me seems what they should be doing," Murphy said.
A smattering of officials have called for impeachment, but legal experts say Albany has no standard for that the current statute is vague.
The last time a New York governor was impeached was in 1913.
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