Governor Andrew Cuomo has been accused of some horrible things recently. The accusations range from asking a woman to learn Danny Boy for his own pleasure and groping an aide under her blouse. So far there are 10 accusers, the most recent coming out of the Rochester area. Members of the Democratic party have even called for him to resign including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The accusations go back years so it is surprising that he has not come under scrutiny until now.
Cuomo Asked to Resign
Gilibrand did not know about the most recent accusation when she said “I don’t know any details about the most recent accusation, as I’ve said previously allegations to date have been serious and concerning because of the nature of the allegations. now, with possibly nine accusers, I think it’s going to be very difficult for the governor to do his job given that he’s lost the support of most of his governing partners, which is why I suggested he should resign.” Cuomo’s attorney released a statement concerning the most recent allegations against him. “During times of crisis, the governor has frequently sought to comfort New Yorkers with hugs and kisses. As I have said before, the governor has greeted both men and women with hugs, a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand for the past forty years.” This seems to be a pretty weird excuse especially in this day and age where classes about sexual assault and what constitutes as sexual assault is taught in many work places.
The Victim’s Stories
Sherry Vill of Greece, N.Y., said that Cuomo kissed her while visiting her home in 2017 after it was damaged in a flood. Her son even caught the moment on camera. Gloria Allred, Sherry Vill’s attorney, said Cuomo suddenly grabbed Vill’s face and kissed her in front of her home during the visit. According to Vill, who is married, the governor told her “you are beautiful.” “I felt embarrassed and weird…I felt he was coming on to me in my own home,” Vill also said Cuomo invited her to an event to which he did not invite any other members of her family. “Cuomo said, ‘That’s what Italians do kiss both cheeks,'” Vill told reporters in an online news conference.
Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration until November, told The New York Times Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she ever had sex with older men. Bennett was a new aide in the Executive Chamber when Cuomo told her to learn the song lyrics to “Danny Boy.” When she wouldn’t sing the song for him later in the day Cuomo started singing it himself to get Bennett to join in. While this incident took place there was a witness in the room, Melissa DeRosa. Her lawyer, Debra Katz, said “Instead of DeRosa saying to the governor, you need to stop this, he continued to press her to sing Danny Boy, which is really humiliating, and when she doesn’t do it, he starts singing Danny Boy with this booming voice and says ‘Sing with me, sing with me.”
Lindsey Boylan A former member of Cuomo’s administration says he once kissed her on the lips without consent. Boylan said that during her three years in the Democrat’s administration, Cuomo “would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.” He also compared her to one of his ex-girlfriends and remarked they should play strip poker together.
Cuomo’s current aide Alyssa McGrath alleges Cuomo harassed her by peering down her blouse and commenting on her necklace, asking about the status of her divorce, among other incidents. Alyssa McGrath told the New York Times that the unidentified accuser confided to her how Cuomo touched her breast under her blouse. “She froze when he started doing that stuff to her,” McGrath stated. “He told her specifically not to tell me,” McGrath said. She also said Cuomo was well aware of her and the unidentified aide’s friendship and regular communication.
These are not all of the current allegations but just these alone are troubling to think about. This is one of the leaders of our country yet some of our precious citizens feel scared and threatened by him. This wouldn’t be the first time people have feared Cuomo, he has the reputation of being a bully.
Other Reasons Cuomo should Resign
New York City public advocate, Jumaane Williams, described Cuomo’s aggressive behavior as “kind of an open secret.” Cynthia Nixon, who ran against Cuomo in the Democratic primary, said, “We’ve all seen it: Andrew the bully. He bullies other elected officials. He bullies anyone who criticizes him.” Just last month, New York Assemblyman Ron Kim said Cuomo called him and threatened to “destroy” him if he didn’t support Cuomo during the nursing home scandal. The scandal in itself is another major reason for concern. If you haven’t heard about it, don’t worry I’ll give you a brief rundown. The outrage was based on a number of decisions made by Cuomo. First, he required nursing homes to accept Covid-19-positive patients when New York’s hospitals were overflowing. He then decided to hide data about deaths of nursing home residents. Court orders, leaks, and investigations revealed that Cuomo dramatically and intentionally understated the pandemic’s toll on nursing home residents in New York.
This is a corrupt leader. He lies to us, makes some of our own feel unsafe in their workplace, and is known to be a bully by his colleagues. Cuomo should resign from his political position because as a leader of our country he is held to a standard which he is not meeting. We can not allow corrupt leaders to stay in office. We need honest, compassionate, and well mannered individuals to run our cities, states, and most of all our country.
Written by: Erinn Malloy
