NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday called for an independent investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo after a former aide accused the governor of sexual harassment.
On Wednesday, Lindsey Boylan, a former economic adviser to the governor, detailed in an online post that Cuomo “would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs,” compared her to one of his rumored ex-girlfriends and once joked they should play strip poker.
She also noted that the governor once kissed her on the lips without her consent.
In a statement, the governor’s office said Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.”
During a press conference on Thursday, Mayor de Blasio, who has a prickly relationship with the governor, called for an investigation into Cuomo’s alleged behavior.
“These allegations are really disturbing – let’s be clear about that, they’re really disturbing,” the mayor said. “We've got to take this seriously. When a woman comes forward with this kind of very specific allegations, they have to be taken seriously.”
The mayor emphasized that an independent investigation, “by some individual or entity that is not compromised, is not dominated by the governor’s office” must be conducted.
“This kind of behavior, if it’s true, is unacceptable in any public servant, in anybody. So we’ve got to get the truth about this,” de Blasio added.
Cuomo has yet to respond to the mayor’s calls.
The governor is also facing calls for an investigation into his administration’s handling of nursing homes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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