The roast, said Wertheimer, entailed projecting photos of prominent state officials, “then asking Melissa if she knew their names, and her not knowing.” The newcomers whispered and huddled together while everyone else laughed. Partway through the bash, there was a roast of Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa, then the chief of staff but soon to be promoted to secretary to the governor. Others hoped it could be a laboratory for ideas that might become a model for federal policy.Įarly in their employment, a few of these staffers were invited to a party at the governor’s mansion in Albany. Some saw New York State government as a bulwark against what they feared Trumpism would bring. He came on alongside almost 30 other new hires, many of whom had also worked for the outgoing president or on Hillary Clinton’s campaign and were seeking a progressive professional path through the Trump years. It also fails to include images of a head of state running their hands across a woman’s stomach or down their back, as Cuomo reportedly did to a female state trooper assigned to protect him.Joel Wertheimer took a job in Andrew Cuomo’s administration in February 2017, straight from his position in Barack Obama’s White House. The report includes no images of Biden, Obama, or any other politician reaching inside a woman’s blouse to grope their breast. Most of the rest is dozens of photos of him hugging people and other politicians hugging people: /AmyfNpKzXG Cuomo has released an 85-page written response to the independent investigation, but it's only 26 pages of text. 1.) The Governor’s conduct in this regard is unremarkable: Democratic and Republican politicians, male and female alike, use handshakes, hugs, and kisses to connect with others.” The Governor’s interaction has been on public display virtually on a daily basis for nearly 20 years. “He has hugged or kissed male and female members of his staff, Al Gore, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Andrea Stewart Cousins and Carl Heastie, as well as constituents he meets on the street, and family and friends, as has been well documented. “The way he interacts with others is not gender-based,” the response notes. Among the dozens of images featured in the 85-page response are former President Obama greeting various dignitaries, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi hugging, even George W. James noted on Tuesday that her office was able to corroborate the accounts of the 11 women who accused the governor of sexual misconduct.Ĭuomo also released a lengthy written response to the report that doubled down on the idea that images of himself and other politicians hugging each other in some way exonerates him from allegations that include reaching under an assistant’s blouse to grab her breast. The report includes several graphic accounts of groping and inappropriate touching, as well as detailing a toxic workplace predicated on secrecy and loyalty to the governor. The “gestures” that led James to describe Cuomo’s behavior as “in violation of both federal and state law” go far beyond pecking constituents on the cheek. People who I meet on the street.”Īndrew Cuomo really thought this montage was a good idea /yTzzP9mdaD In an effort to prove his innocence, Cuomo claimed that the “gestures” in question were meant to convey “warmth.” He spoke over a photo montage of himself affectionately greeting people of various demographics. “I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” he said. In a pre-recorded video, the embattled New York governor denied any wrongdoing. Governor Andrew Cuomo was ready to defend himself on Tuesday after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a scathing report in which nearly a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct.
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