Cuomo’s Response To Investigation Includes Numerous Photos of Obama, Biden, Pelosi and Others

Several pages of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) response to the New York attorney general’s report include photos of him and other politicians hugging and kissing people. In the counter report by Cuomo’s attorney…

Madison SummersAug 4, 20213 min read

Check out the photos below:

https://twitter.com/pbmelendez/status/1422620934180122624

https://twitter.com/brianmrosenthal/status/1422624608411439114

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday the findings of an independent investigation into the “allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual harassment claims made against the governor,” as IJR reported on.

“This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law,” James said.

Read the report’s conclusion below:

“Upon completion of our independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment brought against Governor Andrew Cuomo and the surrounding circumstances, we have reached the conclusion that the Governor sexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments. We find that such conduct was part of a pattern of behavior that extended to his interactions with others outside of State government.
We also find the Executive Chamber’s response to allegations of sexual harassment violated its internal policies and that the Executive Chamber’s response to one complainant’s allegations constituted unlawful retaliation. In addition, we conclude that the culture of fear and intimidation, the normalization of inappropriate comments and interactions, and the poor enforcement of the policies and safeguards, contributed to the sexual harassment, retaliation, and an overall hostile work environment in the Executive Chamber.”

Cuomo responded to the report with a montage of photos showing him touching people.

“I’ve been making the same gesture in public all my life. I actually learned it from my mother and from my father,” he said, adding, “It is meant to convey warmth, nothing more. Indeed there are hundreds if not thousands of photos of me using the exact same gesture. I do it with everyone, Black and white, young and old, straight and LGBTQ, powerful people, friends, strangers, people who I meet on the street.”

A former aide to Cuomo who accused him of sexual harassment told CBS News in response to Cuomo’s denial, “He is trying to justify himself by making me out to be someone who can’t tell the difference between sexual harassment and mentorship … I am not confused. It is not confusing.”

Following the release of the report, there have been growing calls for Cuomo to resign, including from Biden.