Cuomo accuser met with investigators for over 4 hours and shared more than 120 pages of documents, lawyer says
Charlotte Bennett, one of the women accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, met with investigators from the state's attorney general's office for more than four hours on Monday and handed over more than 120 pages of records, her attorney said. Cuomo is facing increasing pressure to resign, and state lawmakers have launched an impeachment investigation into the allegations against him.
In a statement, Bennett's attorney said she remains "confident" that the state attorney general's investigation will substantiate Bennett's claims of sexual harassment against Cuomo, as well as her claims that his staff failed to comply with mandatory reporting requirements after she disclosed her allegations to a supervisor.
Bennett detailed her allegations in an interview with "CBS Evening News" earlier this month. She alleged Cuomo repeatedly asked her inappropriate questions, including whether her experience with sexual assault had impacted her sex life and whether she'd be comfortable dating an older man. She also claimed he told her that he was looking for a girlfriend and would date anyone over the age of 22.
"Without explicitly saying it, he implied to me that I was old enough for him and he was lonely," Bennett said.
Cuomo is facing six other allegations of inappropriate conduct. He has denied sexually harassing anyone but has expressed regret for comments he made throughout his tenure that made others uncomfortable.
"I never knew at the time that I was making anyone feel uncomfortable," Cuomo said. "I never, ever meant to offend anyone or hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. I feel terrible that these people felt uncomfortable, felt hurt, felt pain from the interactions, and I'm embarrassed by it, and I feel bad from it."
Bennett's attorney said one new piece of information was disclosed during the Zoom meeting on Monday: the governor's alleged "preoccupation with his hand size" and "what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff."
Cuomo's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, the New York State Assembly Speaker authorized an impeachment investigation into the allegations of misconduct against Cuomo, and 55 state lawmakers signed a letter urging him to resign. Cuomo has refused to step down.
President Biden has not called for Cuomo's resignation, saying Sunday that "I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us." But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Mr. Biden finds the allegations "troubling" and "hard to read."
Jericka Duncan contributed reporting.