Two more women came forward over the weekend and accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct, increasing pressure on the embattled Democrat to resign.
Mr. Cuomo now is facing allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior from five women.
“It’s terrible and I truly believe he has a dog’s mess on his hands,” Gov. Jim Justice, West Virginia Republican, told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I would say he needs to resign.”
Democratic leaders, though, have taken a slower approach in judging the scandal.
Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy all said the allegations against Mr. Cuomo should be thoroughly probed before he’s taken out of office.
“These allegations are serious but I believe you need to let this investigation go forward,” Mr. Manchin told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The rule of law is our bedrock for who we are as a country.”
One of the latest allegations came from Karen Hinton, who served as an aide to the governor in 2000. She told The Washington Post that Mr. Cuomo called her to his hotel room and held her.
Another woman, Ana Liss, told The Wall Street Journal that she was an aide to the governor from 2013-2015 and that he touched her back, kissed her and inquired about if she had a boyfriend.
Three other women have accused Mr. Cuomo of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Male aides also have told The Washington Post that the governor used abusive language in the workplace.
Mr. Cuomo’s office denied Ms. Hinton’s claims.
“This did not happen. Karen Hinton is a known antagonist of the Governor’s who is attempting to take advantage of this moment to score cheap points with made up allegations from 21 years ago,” Mr. Cuomo’s office said in a statement. “All women have the right to come forward and tell their story — however, it’s also the responsibility of the press to consider self-motivation. This is reckless.”
The governor said he has not sexually harassed women, but last week during a press conference where he addressed the initial accusations, he apologized for hugging and kissing people.
“To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to,” Mr. Cuomo said. “That’s why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.”
The sexual harassment claims arose around the same time the governor also came under scrutiny for his handling of COVID-19 patients in nursing homes. He’s been accused of manipulating the number of elderly people who died of COVID-19 in nursing homes in New York, under counting the data.
WABC-TV in New York reports there’s a protest planned Sunday outside the governor’s office calling for him to resign.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed that 55% of voters said Mr. Cuomo shouldn’t resign while 40% backed his resignation. Only 36% of respondents said Mr. Cuomo should run again for another four-year term.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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