Cuomo faces mounting pressure to quit smoking as third woman alleges harassment

NEW YORK – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was facing a growing struggle for his political future on Tuesday after a third woman accused him of inappropriate behavior.

The Democrat, who rose to national prominence last year for handling his state of the coronavirus pandemic, is under increasing pressure to resign over the sexual harassment scandal.

Already facing the heat over allegations that he deliberately failed to report COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes, Cuomo formally referred himself for an investigation Monday for allegations of sexual misconduct by two former aides.

Hours later, 33-year-old Anna Ruch told the New York Times who met Cuomo, now 63, at a wedding in September 2019.

During the reception, he put his hand on her bare small back, which she pushed away, and asked if he could kiss her.

“I was so confused, shocked and embarrassed,” Ruch, who did not work for Cuomo, said when Times. “I turned my head and had no words at the time.”

The newspaper published a photo showing the governor holding a visibly uncomfortable Ruch by the cheeks.

A growing number of Democrats and Republicans have joined Cuomo’s accusers in calling for the resignation of the three-term governor.

Sam Abrams, a political science professor at Sarah Lawrence College, said the third accuser “makes it much more difficult” for Cuomo to stay.

“He is a fighter and will clear his name if it is believed to be a misunderstanding,” Abrams said.

“But if he loses the support of the party, and that is happening, he has no future or fourth term.”

Cuomo became a star this past spring with his frank but empathetic coronavirus briefings that stood in stark contrast to then-President Donald Trump’s dismissive approach to the pandemic.

Some Democrats even urged him to run for the White House, with many commentators recommending him for a role in President Joe Biden’s administration.

But now it seems that his shares have never been lower.

Ruch’s testimony came just days after former assistant Charlotte Bennett told the New York Times who sexually harassed her last year.

Bennett, 25, said Cuomo told him in June that he was open to dating women in their 20s and asked if he thought age made a difference in romantic relationships. Times saying.

While Cuomo never tried to touch her, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me and I felt terribly uncomfortable and scared,” he said.

Bennett’s allegations on Saturday came just four days after another former assistant, Lindsey Boylan, described Cuomo’s unwanted physical contact while working for his administration, from 2015 to 2018.

Boylan, 36, alleged the governor gave him an unsolicited kiss on the lips, suggested they play poker, and “went out of his way to touch my lower back, arms and legs.”

PROBING MISCONDUCT

Cuomo said Sunday that he was “really sorry” if his conduct had ever been “misinterpreted as unwanted flirting.” He denied touching or proposing to someone inappropriately.

Cuomo, who is loathed by many on the left wing of the Democratic Party, was criticized for the wording of his apology.

He came under pressure for an independent investigation into the misconduct allegations, to be led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The findings will be released in a public report at an as-yet unknown date.

Cuomo has run New York for ten years and is believed to be greedy for a fourth term when the current one ends in 2022, to surpass his father Mario Cuomo, who served three terms.

Analysts say he is not the type to resign, and gaining support for his impeachment in the New York state legislature would be difficult with lawmakers likely to side with his party rather than the broader #MeToo movement.

They hope that he will try to overcome the scandal until the results of the investigation are published.

“If it’s really bad for him, then he resigns or is charged,” said Columbia University policy expert Lincoln Mitchell.

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