Challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed on Sunday that “there is no way” to withdraw from allegations of sexual harassment, now filed by five women against him, and that he suspended his “political” motions for resignation. .
“I was elected by the people of the state. Politicians didn’t choose me, “Cuomo said during a brief conference call with reporters. “I will not resign because of allegations.”
The governor spoke a day after two other former officials, Ana Liss and Karen Hinton, accused him of inappropriate behavior, including inappropriate physical contact. – adding to the previous allegations of co-workers with Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, as well as Anna Ruch.
“The premise of resigning because of allegations is actually undemocratic,” Cuomo said. “Anyone has the ability to make allegations in a democracy and that’s great. But it is in the credibility of the allegation ”.
An “embarrassed” Cuomo last week offered a conditional apology “yes [his accusers] they felt offended ”by his statements, while vehemently denying allegations of inappropriate physical contact.
Cuomo characterized Hinton on Sunday as “my political opponent,” claiming that his complaint to the Washington Post that he was caught inside a dimly lit hotel room during a 2000 trip to Los Angeles was not. sure “.
“Ma’am. Hinton, all women have a right to appear. It’s true,” Cuomo said. “But the truth also matters. What he said is not true.
“As everyone knows who has been involved at any level in New York politics, she has been a political opponent of mine for a long time, very critical for many, many years, and has filed many, many accusations,” Cuomo said.
At the time, Cuomo allegedly caught Hinton in a way she described as “too long, too long, too narrow, too intimate,” acting as head of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
He later served as a spokesman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a frequent political rival of Cuomo, and last month was one of several people on New York’s political scene to protest against the alleged pattern of “bullying” by the governor. behavior.
Asked about Liss’s accusation of asking him inappropriate questions about his married life, Cuomo said only that he engaged in “friendly jokes.”
As for Liss quoting a photograph taken during a 2014 reception showing the governor with his hand around his waist, Cuomo said over the years he had posed for photos with hundreds of people, including men and women.
“We take pictures with people. If you like the image, frame it, put it on the desk, ”said Cuomo. “If you don’t like the image, throw it in the trash. This is your right.
“I never wanted to make anyone feel unpleasant in any way.”
When asked if he accused women of lying about experiences, Cuomo offered a seemingly contradictory answer.
“No,” he said. “I just said what Karen Hinton was saying wasn’t true.”
The third-term Democrat said demands for his resignation, which have come from both sides in the political corridor, are motivated by politics, an explanation he previously offered in response to bipartisan demands for the investigation of the handling from coronavirus to nursing by its administration. homes.
“There’s politics in politics,” he said with a laugh.
“I have political differences with the people. I have political differences with Republicans. I have political differences with the Sen. [Alessandra] Biaggi, “Cuomo continued, referring to the Democratic state lawmaker among those calling for the governor’s resignation.
“But they don’t nullify people’s will,” he said. “They do not annul the elections.”
Arguing the benefit of investigating allegations in private until they were confirmed, Cuomo suggested that Biaggi would not like the allegations to be litigated in public.
“If this is what Senator Biaggi wants to do, we will let go of all the allegations that JCOPE makes [the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics] and the attorney general and the DA have about members of the senate, and then we leave them out of the public arena and decide publicly … whether that complaint would make a person resign, “Cuomo said.” That’s absurd. “.
Cuomo firmly stated that he was not leaving office. “This is democracy,” he said, referring to the due process and letting investigations, such as the one initiated by Attorney General Letitia James, continue their course. “There is no way to give up.”