An eighth woman has come forward with accusations of sexual harassment against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reports The New York Times.
Alyssa McGrath, 33, a current aide who works for Cuomo, said the governor once looked down her shirt and told her she was “beautiful” in Italian. She said he also engaged in flirtatious behavior.
McGrath is the first current aide to speak in public about the allegations. Another current female aide, McGrath’s co-worker, says Cuomo groped her in the governor’s residence. The Times Union of Albany reported that the woman, who it did not name, was alone with Cuomo late last year when he closed the door, reached under her shirt and fondled her.
“She froze when he started doing that stuff to her,” McGrath told the Times, adding, “But who are you going to tell?”
McGrath said Cuomo told the woman “specifically not to tell me.”
Cuomo, a Democrat, has denied any wrongdoing and said he will not resign. He apologized earlier this month after two women accused of him of sexual harassment and another alleged an unwanted advane, saying he didn’t know he was “making anyone feel uncomfortable.”
“I never touched anyone inappropriately. I never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said in his first public remarks addressing the scandal. “I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable. I never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable.”
At least six accusers — Charlotte Bennett, Lindsey Boylan, Ana Liss, Karen Hinton, McGrath and McGrath’s friend — worked for the governor in Albany or during his time in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet. Another, Anna Ruch, told The New York Times that she met Cuomo at a friend’s wedding.
Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Cuomo, responded to McGrath’s allegations.
“The governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like ‘ciao bella,” she told the Times.
“None of this is remarkable, although it may be old-fashioned. He has made clear that he has never made inappropriate advances or inappropriately touched anyone.”
