Results of the investigation conducted on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released on Tuesday reveal that he did harass multiple women.
The Christian Post said New York Attorney General Letitia James released the report from the five-month independent investigation conducted by Anne Clark and Joon Kim on allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed many women that were part of his staff. The report confirmed the allegations and that the governor has indeed violated state and federal laws in line with it.
Last February, Cuomo's former staff Lindsey Boylan exposed the governor in Twitter for kissing him "in 2018 without permission" in the hope that others would come out to speak the truth and put an end to his "abusive behavior." She stressed in her expose that sexual harassment has actually become a part of Cuomo's work environment and culture.
Boylan, though bashed by some, actually became an inspiration to other former aids of the governor who came out one after the other. Cuomo, however, brushed off all allegations while the media ignored the matter but an investigation was launched independently to put rest to the issue.
As per the 168-paged Executive Summary of the investigative report, Cuomo was found to engage in "conduct constituting sexual harassment" to the multiple former staff who came out publicly on what he has done. Cuomo was also found to sexually harass even non-staff members. It was also confirmed that the work culture and environment created by the governor as alleged by Boylan was true.
"We, the investigators appointed to conduct an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, conclude that the Governor engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law," the report said.
"Specifically, we find that the Governor sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women. Our investigation revealed that the Governor's sexually harassing behavior was not limited to members of his own staff, but extended to other State employees, including a State Trooper on his protective detail and members of the public," the report added.
"We also conclude that the Executive Chamber's culture-one filled with fear and intimidation, while at the same time normalizing the Governor's frequent flirtations and gender-based comments--contributed to the conditions that allowed the sexual harassment to occur and persist. That culture also influenced the improper and inadequate ways in which the Executive Chamber has responded to allegations of harassment," the report continued.
Each of the accounts of the women--Boylan, Charlotte Bennett, Alyssa McGrath, Ana Liss, Virginia Limmiatis, Anna Ruch, a certain Kaitlin, and unnamed others--on Cuomo's harassing conduct was detailed in the investigation. Accordingly, there are a total of 10 women and 1 man who came out and reported the sexual harassment they experienced from the governor. This included one executive assistant, one trooper, two state entity employees, and the rest were former aids of the governor.
The report also takes account of the governor's response and his executive chamber's response to the allegations against him. While it highlights in one chapter the "culture and practices of the executive chamber under" Cuomo. The report said that the executive chamber nurtured the "normalization of the governor's sexual or other sex-/gender-based conduct as a preferred alternative to poor treatment" by focusing "on secrecy, loyalty, and fear of retaliation" along with the "poor enforcement of sexual harassment training and reporting mechanism."
In addition, the report pointed out that such a culture has led to multiple cases of sexual harassment and "the problematic response" the chamber had to allegations on it. It stressed that the "executive chamber's failure to report and investigate" the allegations on sexual harassment was an actual violation of "their own internal policies." It stressed that the response given by the governor and his chamber to Boylan's allegations "constituted unlawful retaliation." The report also revealed how the executive chamber responded to the complaints of Bennett and others on the issue.
"This culture of fear, intimidation, and retribution co-existed in the Executive Chamber with one that accepted and normalized everyday flirtations and gender-based comments by the Governor," the report highlighted.
"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," it concluded.
