NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A third woman came forward late Monday evening to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct.
Anna Ruch, 33, told her story to the New York Times, saying she met the governor at a wedding reception in September 2019.
She tells the outlet that she was in the room with the governor and went to speak with him. When she approached, the Times reports she was unsettled after Cuomo “put his hand on Ms. Ruch’s bare lower back.”
Ruch tells the paper that she removed his hand and the governor remarked that she was “aggressive” and placed his hands on her cheeks.
“I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,” she told the New York Times, which published a photograph of the governor holding her face in his hands.
The 33-year-old continued, saying that the governor asked if he could kiss her loud enough that a friend nearby heard the request.
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The New York Times reached out to Gov. Cuomo for a comment. However, a spokesman did not directly address Ruch’s claims and simply pointed to the statement released on Sunday by the governor in which he acknowledged that some things he has said “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
Charlotte Bennett and Lindsey Boylan, both former aides to Gov. Cuomo, have also accused him of harassment.
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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.
While Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, accused Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments.
On Sunday, Cuomo said he was “truly sorry” for any remarks he had made in the past.
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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."
The governor's apology drew anger from Bennett who said, "These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood, they're the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice."
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday blasted the governor’s apology and called for a full investigation into the allegations.
Asked Tuesday whether he believes the governor should resign de Blasio said, "If these allegations are true, he cannot govern. He would not be able to govern. It's as simple as that. You have to have trust from the people and if you can't maintain that trust, you can't govern."
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James confirmed her office will be investigating the allegations. Cuomo on Sunday said he also supported the investigation.
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Long Island Congresswoman and former Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice tweeted, "The time has come, the governor must resign." She becomes the first Democratic member of Congress to call for Cuomo's resignation.
The progressive New York Working Families Party, which has been critical of Cuomo in the past and in 2018 backed his primary challenger, "Sex in the City" actress Cynthia Nixon, is calling on the governor to resign immediately stating, "He is unfit to serve the people of New York."
"Governor Cuomo’s reign of fear, harassment and intimidation cannot continue," the party said.
CBS News analyst Leonard Steinhorn said anything short of an exoneration would doom Cuomo's political future.
"If he abused the power of his office to pressure or cajole aides into a sexual relationship with him he then joins a notorious list of Me Too abusers, and like them, he may be forced to resign his position and leave public life in disgrace," Steinhorn said.
Veteran Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who has worked for and against Cuomo, said he believes the governor is a victim of being around too long.
"There are some things here that probably require investigation, which means they'll be busy a long time looking at them, and time is frankly on the governor's side," said Sheinkopf. "Anybody who counts Andrew Cuomo is really not quite thinking clearly. He is going to fight in every way he can, he's got time on his side, these investigation inquiries will go on for quite some time, and there's always a redemption factor. Don't count Andrew Cuomo out any time, anywhere."
Sheinkopf said if he were consulting Cuomo now he would tell him don't talk to the press, get through the budget negotiations and come out a winner, give progressives something they need in the budget, and wait for the investigations to conclude.
"He needs a particular moment in which he could talk to the media and bring some news where he can answer some questions that make some sense. Getting through the budget or talking about budget negotiations might be a good thing, he could also when asked about the present set of circumstances and say, 'Look, they're under investigation and as soon as we have a full report we'll share it with you' and go on. But if he's going to announce anything it's got to be governmental and not personal, and not related to these charges," Sheinkopf said.
Cuomo is the nation's longest-serving governor.
The last New York governor to resign was his political rival, Eliot Spitzer, who stepped down amid a prostitution scandal 13 years ago.
State lawmakers had just begun to draft articles of impeachment against Spitzer when he stepped down voluntarily.
The last governor to be impeached in New York was in 1913.
William Sulzer was removed for embezzling his own campaign funds for personal use, but historians say that action may have been more about political power-brokering than it was about actual malfeasance.
New York's Assembly majority and Senate Democrats are reportedly finalizing a deal to rescind emergency powers granted to Cuomo last year to manage the pandemic.
Sources tell NY1 the legislation would stop Cuomo from issuing any new statewide directives, like shutdowns, and local control would be restored.
Existing directives previously issued by could be renewed and modified by the governor, including increasing indoor dining capacity incrementally.
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