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Cuomo accused of ‘gaslighting’ after he rejects sexual harassment allegations as ‘jokes’ & ‘being playful’
New York Governor Cuomo’s try to apologize after two former aides accused him of sexual harassment backfired on-line, after he recommended his “good-natured” teasing about private life was “minsinterpreted” as flirtation.
A day after emphatically denying any improper conduct in direction of his second accuser, former aide Charlotte Bennet, Cuomo appeared to make a U-turn on Sunday, admitting that a few of his “jokes” might need come throughout the fallacious manner.
In a prolonged assertion, the embattled governor mentioned that he “now understands” that a few of his interactions with the staffers “could have been insensitive or too private.” He insisted, although, that he didn’t imply any hurt, arguing that “among the issues” he mentioned “have been misinterpreted as undesirable flirtation.”
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“To the extent anybody felt that manner, I’m actually sorry about that,” Cuomo wrote. He appeared responsible the purported misunderstanding on him being “playful” and making “jokes.”
“I’ve teased individuals about their private lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I imply no offense and solely try so as to add some levity and banter to what’s a really critical enterprise,” Cuomo mentioned.
The mea culpa, nevertheless, didn’t sit nicely with these important of the governor, sparking a contemporary wave of indignation.
New York Metropolis Council Deputy Chief Jimmy Van Bramer tweeted that Cuomo has implicated himself with the assertion, accusing him of “justifying sexual harassment as ‘nicely intentioned humor.’”
“It doesn’t absolve him, it implicates him,” Bramer wrote.
Cuomo and his workers have been hunkered down for days little doubt with disaster administration groups and THIS is the assertion they arrive out with?! Justifying sexual harassment as “nicely intentioned humor” that’s been misunderstood? It doesn’t absolve him, it implicates him. https://t.co/Wg8EMMRRus
— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) March 1, 2021
A member of a sexual harassment working group in New York, Erica Vladimer, lambasted the letter as “a fully disgusting, gaslighting response.” There was no possession of his actions, and it as a substitute blamed his victims for “misinterpreting” his “playfulness,” she mentioned.
That is a fully disgusting, gaslighting response. No possession of his actions, blaming his victims for "misinterpreting" his "playfulness." https://t.co/i5Cz8gnGlu https://t.co/41izprmy8i
— Erica Vladimer (@EricaForNY) February 28, 2021
A New York Metropolis Council candidate and self-described progressive Chris Sosa has accused Cuomo of “pure survivor-blaming,” labeling the assertion as “a sexual harassment bingo card.”
READ MORE: After backlash over ‘outdoors evaluate’ of sexual-harassment claims, Cuomo asks AG & chief decide to choose counsel to research
"Playful," "jokes" "teasing," "banter," "misinterpreted," "sorry" you "felt that manner," "by no means inappropriately touched." This new assertion from Gov. Cuomo reads like a sexual harassment bingo card. Paragraphs of pure survivor-blaming. Impeach Cuomo now. pic.twitter.com/l3COvXlklj
— Chris Sosa (@ChrisSosa) February 28, 2021
Journalist Megyn Kelly, who was first to conduct on-camera interview with Biden accuser Tara Reade, ripped Cuomo’s response to the allegations, accusing the governor of attempting to attempting to painting his accusers as “silly.”
“So, [Cuomo]’s accusers are too silly to know that this was simply the identical ‘playful’ Guv that we noticed… at *press conferences??* Is it ‘playful’ to the touch one’s staff’ legs & kiss them on the lips towards their will?”
So, @NYGovCuomo’s accusers are too silly to know that this was simply the identical “playful” Guv that we noticed…at *press conferences??* Is it “playful” to the touch one’s staff’ legs & kiss them on the lips towards their will? Bc higher males than A Cuomo have been fired for that. https://t.co/y6uaCtOXCm
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 28, 2021
Learn extra
‘I understood that the governor needed to sleep with me:’ 2nd former aide to NY Gov. Cuomo accuses him of sexual harassment
As requires Cuomo’s instant resignation have been mounting, the governor first selected former federal decide Barbara Jones to conduct an “outdoors evaluate” of the claims. After the proposal was rejected amid considerations that the investigation may very well be influenced by Cuomo himself, the governor requested New York’s lawyer common Letitia James and the chief appellate courtroom decide to collectively select an impartial counsel. Nonetheless, this proposal additionally confronted pushback, with James demanding the governor make a referral “solely to her workplace,” giving her subpoena powers. Ultimately, Cuomo’s cupboard conceded, with James saying on Sunday that she would rent a regulation agency to research the claims made by Cuomo’s former staffers, Charlotte Bennett and Lindsey Boylan.
As soon as a media darling, hailed for his “virus management” amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Cuomo has suffered a speedy fall from grace because it was revealed that his workplace underreported the variety of nursing houses deaths by as a lot as 50 % in an obvious bid to keep away from giving the Trump administration political ammunition. The governor has been the topic of a preliminary FBI probe into his dealing with of the information.
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