President Joe Biden supports an “independent review” of sexual harassment claims against Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after allegations surfaced from two female former staffers, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Sunday.
“There should be an independent review looking into these allegations, and that’s certainly something he supports, and we believe should move forward as quickly as possible,” Psaki said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“They’re serious. It was hard to read that story as a woman, and that process should move forward as quickly as possible, and that’s something we all support and the president supports,” Psaki said.
Beth Garvey, who serves as special counsel and senior adviser to Cuomo, 63, said in a statement Saturday that Cuomo “has requested an independent review and all staff will cooperate in that endeavor. Former Federal Judge Barbara Jones will lead the review.”
But that “independent review” was blasted as not so independent.
“Who asked the judge to review the new allegations?” said former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, who ran against Cuomo in the last election. “If the answer is the Cuomo administration itself let’s be clear that’s an inside job, NOT an ‘outside review.'”
Who asked the judge to review the new allegations?
If the answer is the Cuomo administration itself let’s be clear that’s an inside job, NOT an “outside review.” https://t.co/lvZGxuJ6cy
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) February 28, 2021
Charlotte Bennett, 25, who worked as an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration until she left in November, told The New York Times that the harassment began in the spring of 2020.
The Times reported that Bennett claimed Cuomo, 63, had asked her questions about her sex life, whether her relationships were monogamous, and whether she ever had sex with older men. The interview with the Times was prompted after Bennett reacted to the sexual harassment accusation against Cuomo made by ex-aide Lindsey Boylan on Wednesday by tweeting, “For those wondering what it’s like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan’s story.”
Boylan wrote a lengthy article on Medium detailing her allegations against Cuomo, beginning with a suggestion the government made while the two were on his taxpayer-funded jet in which he suggested they play “strip poker.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Boylan said she responded, claiming her statement was made “sarcastically and awkwardly” and that she “tried to play it cool.”
“Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected. His inappropriate behavior toward women was an affirmation that he liked you, that you must be doing something right. He used intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dared to speak up, you would face consequences,” Boylan wrote.