Former aide claims Cuomo kissed her, harassed her in other ways
NEW YORK (WRGB) — A former staffer to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is making more detailed claims about alleged harassment by the political leader, detailing what she says is her experience working with him.
Back in mid-December, Lindsey Boylan accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, saying he made inappropriate comments about her appearance.
On Wednesday morning, Boylan published additional allegations in a blog.
In the post titled "My story of working with Governor Cuomo," Boylan shares emails, as well as screenshots of interactions, claiming that her boss, shortly after an event in 2016, said Cuomo had a "crush" on Boylan.
Boylan writes during a one-on-one briefing in New York City, Cuomo "kissed me on the lips" as she was leaving.
She said she resigned on Sept. 26, 2018.
Telling my truth isn’t about seeking revenge. I was proud to work in the Cuomo Administration. For so long I had looked up to the Governor. But his abusive behavior needs to stop."
Cuomo's office responded, referencing an accusation about another incident, accusing the governor of saying, "Let's play strip poker."
"We were flying home from an October 2017 event in Western New York on his taxpayer-funded jet," Boylan said in the blog post. "He was seated facing me, so close our knees almost touched. His press aide was to my right and a state trooper behind us."
Press Secretary Caitlin Girouard countered that claim in a statement Wednesday, saying while Boylan was on that plane, "there was no flight where Lindsey was alone with the Governor, a single press aide, and a NYS Trooper."
Girouard listed flight manifests in a press release sent from the governor's office. Several others who were on the plane – including John Maggiore, Howard Zemsky, Dani Lever and Abbey Fashouer Collins – said in the same statement they were also on the flight in question and asserted the conversation didn't happen.
Several others have come forward in the wake of recent scandal surrounding Cuomo. Assemblyman Ron Kim accused Cuomo of threatening him if he didn't back Melissa DeRosa after she said in a Zoom call that "we froze" when the administration got a letter from the Department of Justice.
She said she wasn’t sure if they would launch an investigation into them, and was concerned that the state’s nursing home data would be used against the Cuomo administration politically.
Cuomo pushed back at a press conference, claiming hostility from Kim over a 2015 bill to reform nail salons.
MORE: Local assemblyman points to "bullying" from governor's office
Angelo Santabarbara of Rotterdam says he got pushback, after voicing his opinions on the Green Light law and criminal justice reform on social media, going to far as to call the governor a "bully".
