Two more women have accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment, including a former press aide who says she struggled to break away from his frequent embraces and a young assistant who now claims he made her feel like “just a skirt.”
In a dimly lit Los Angeles hotel, former press aide Karen Hinton was subjected to a “very long, too long, too close, too intimate” embrace from Cuomo.
The married Hinton backed away, but she told the paper that “he draws me in for another romantic embrace.” “I was thinking at the time that it could lead to a kiss or other stuff, so I just pull away and leave.”
Cuomo was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development at the time.Cuomo’s current spokesperson told the newspaper that Hinton’s statement was false and that “this did not happen.”
Given that Hinton’s husband is lobbyist Howard Glaser, a longtime Cuomo ally and confidante who served as his director of state operations and senior policy advisor until 2014, Hinton’s comments are all the more surprising.
Ana Liss, a policy and procedures aide who worked for the governor from 2013 to 2015, said he acted improperly while in Albany.
According to Liss, the governor addressed her as “sweetheart” and inquired if she had a boyfriend.
Cuomo allegedly touched Liss on the lower back during a case, kissed her hand once, and asked if she was dating her.
She told the newspaper, “It’s not acceptable in any situation.” The Post was unable to contact Liss right away.
Liss is the third retired state employee and fourth woman to accuse the governor of sexual harassment in various forms. Hinton’s accusation takes the total number of accusers to five.
The escalating controversy has prompted calls for an inquiry, Cuomo’s resignation, and the revocation of the governor’s emergency, pandemic-related powers by the state Legislature.
Former aide Lindsey Boylan explained how Cuomo allegedly kissed her on the lips in the governor’s Manhattan office without notice last month.
Cuomo had asked her inappropriate personal questions, told her he was open to relationships with women in their 20s, and left her feeling like he “wanted to sleep with me,” according to Charlotte Bennett, 25, the second woman to come forward.
Anna Ruch, a former Biden campaign worker, has also come forward, alleging that the governor kissed her on the check at a New York wedding in 2019, leaving her “confused, surprised, and humiliated.”
Liss recalled a meeting with Cuomo in Albany’s executive mansion in May 2014, when Cuomo greeted her with the greeting, “Hey, sweetheart!”
Cuomo then embraced her, kissed her on both cheeks, wrapped his arm around her lower back, and squeezed her waist, she said, before turning to a photographer for a snap.
Liss, who is now 35, believes the encounters limited her to “just a skirt.”
“Thank you Karen Hinton for courageously sharing your story of how our boss, one of the most powerful men in the country, used his power to abuse you. I am sending you love. I am with you. We are with you,” she wrote. She called Liss “brave”, adding, “It’s extremely destructive that our boss, the governor of New York, treated us this way.”
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s spokesperson says that the encounter with Hinton “did not occur.”
“Karen Hinton is a long-time foe of the Governor who is attempting to take advantage of this opportunity to score cheap points by bringing up false claims from 21 years ago,” Peter Ajemian said.
He said, “All women have the right to come forward and say their story.” He, on the other hand, slammed Hinton’s account as “reckless.”
Another Cuomo spokesman insisted in a statement that Liss’ allegations are nothing more than standard practice at public receptions.
