Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls for Investigation of Gov. Cuomo

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called for an independent investigation following reports of a second former aide who has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment.

“Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett’s detailed accounts of sexual harassment by Gov. Cuomo are extremely serious and painful to read,” AOC wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “There must be an independent investigation – not one led by an individual selected by the Governor, but by the office of the Attorney General.”

On Saturday, The New York Times reported that 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett claimed Cuomo began harassing her in spring 2020 when she was his executive assistant. She began working for the Cuomo administration in 2019, starting out as an entry-level briefer. She subsequently left Cuomo’s office in November.

Bennett said that the governor would ask her questions about her sex life and if she had ever slept with an older man. “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett said. “And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.”

Cuomo issued a statement addressing Bennett’s claims on Saturday night.

“… Ms. Bennett’s initial impression was right: I was trying to be a mentor to her. I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate,” the statement read in part. “The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported,” he said. “This situation cannot and should not be resolved in the press; I believe the best way to get to the truth is through a full and thorough outside review and I am directing all state employees to comply with that effort. I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments. I will have no further comment until the review has concluded.”