Lindsey Boylan, who spent three years working for Cuomo, is accusing the New York Governor of sexually harassing her that included unwanted touching & kissing.She says that his top female staffers even "normalized" the behavior.
Boylan first started discussing Cuomo’s behavior back in December in a series of tweets where she wrote that the governor “sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched.”
At the time she added that she wasn’t ready to come forward to tell the whole story.
Boylan who served under Cuomo as his former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, detailed the harassment in a piece published today at Medium.
She wrote about the time Cuomo suggested that they should play “strip poker” on a flight.
“Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected. His inappropriate behavior toward women was an affirmation that he liked you, that you must be doing something right. He used intimidation to silence his critics. And if you dared to speak up, you would face consequences...
I’m compelled to tell my story because no woman should feel forced to hide their experiences of workplace intimidation, harassment and humiliation — not by the Governor or anyone else...
The Governor’s pervasive harassment extended beyond just me. He made unflattering comments about the weight of female colleagues. He ridiculed them about their romantic relationships and significant others. He said the reasons that men get women were “money and power.”
I tried to excuse his behavior. I told myself “it’s only words.” But that changed after a one-on-one briefing with the Governor to update him on economic and infrastructure projects. We were in his New York City office on Third Avenue. As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips. I was in shock, but I kept walking.
I left past the desk of Stephanie Benton. I was scared she had seen the kiss. The idea that someone might think I held my high-ranking position because of the Governor’s “crush” on me was more demeaning than the kiss itself.
Boylan described an encounter in December 2016, when she said Cuomo arranged to meet her in his Albany office. She said he gave her a tour of his office, "smirked" and showed off a cigar box he said was given to him by former President Bill Clinton while he served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development."
Will be interesting to see how the media treats Boylan's accusations because remember it's only #BelieveAllWomen if they person being accused is a Republican.