Bill De Blasio says Cuomo should be charged with assault after AG backed up accuser's claim that he groped her breast in his office
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Andrew Cuomo should be criminally charged with assault for allegedly groping the breast of a female aide in his office last year, a claim that the New York Attorney General says is corroborated.
Appearing on CBS This Morning, de Blasio repeated calls for the Governor to stand down and called his behavior 'not even close' to acceptable.
The 168-page report backs up the allegations of 11 women who say Cuomo sexually harassed them either by touching them, kissing them, hugging them or subjecting them to inappropriate questioning or comments.
He denies all of the groping allegations and says he may have been too handsy with hugs and kisses, but that's how he was raised. He says the inappropriate comments were intended as banter and the women misinterpreted them.
Cuomo is now facing three criminal investigations in Manhattan, Westchester and Albany - in addition to an impeachment trial at the State Legislature. A judiciary committee has been tasked with investigating whether impeachment is warranted and that probe is underway.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared in studio for CBS This Morning on Wednesday to repeat his calls for Cuomo to resign and say he should be criminally charged. He says Cuomo's behavior 'wasn't even close' to acceptable
.@NYCMayor Bill de Blasio says New York Gov. Cuomo should "resign for the good of New York state" and believes he should be charged criminally. pic.twitter.com/tZurQMJhLK
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) August 4, 2021
.@NYCMayor Bill de Blasio says New York Gov. Cuomo should "resign for the good of New York state" and believes he should be charged criminally. pic.twitter.com/tZurQMJhLK
De Blasio said on Wednesday that Cuomo's excuses aren't good enough and that he ought to stand down before he is impeached because he's lost the support of everyone, including his own party.
'If you assault a woman, if you do something against her will sexually, that's criminal. And the Albany County District Attorney is looking at that and I think he should be charged,' he said.
'When you read this report, 11 women systematically wronged; 11 women confronted by a powerful guy who could crush their career, and their reputation, and he's the kind of guy that everyone assumes would if you crossed him. And he harassed them, he assaulted them in several cases, it's not even close.
Digging his heels in: Cuomo (shown in the video denial he issued yesterday) is refusing to stand down and insists he did nothing wrong
Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, two of Cuomo's accusers. They are among the few that are publicly named
'And then, he has the audacity to say, oh, you know, I like to hug people. I mean, that's just out of touch with reality, but it's also profoundly disrespectful.
'How about saying, I did something wrong, I have to atone for my sins, I need to go and deal with my problems?' he said.
De Blasio slammed Cuomo's attempted excuse that he is of a friendly and tactile generation, saying: 'Putting your hand up a woman's shirt and touching their breast is not generational.
'I know plenty of guys who are older, who would never in a million years do that.
'Talking to 20-something year old women, asking them if they’d date an older guy and then leering at them – this is not acceptable behavior, it’s not even close.'
Cuomo is refusing to stand down, despite being told to by President Biden and countless others.
He insists he is the victim of a political attack.