New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a “full and independent investigation” into recent sexual harassment allegations against Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York during a Thursday press conference.
De Blasio called for the probe after Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to the governor and current Manhattan Borough President candidate, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment on Wednesday, according to the New York Post.
De Blasio wants probe of 'really disturbing' Lindsey Boylan claim against Cuomo https://t.co/HzAzfHecK9 pic.twitter.com/iCfZFXboSE
— New York Post (@nypost) February 25, 2021
Boylan detailed numerous instances of Cuomo’s alleged inappropriate behavior in a Medium essay, including unwanted kissing and attempting to initiate a game of “strip poker” on a government jet.
Cuomo’s press secretary, Caitlin Girouard, denied the allegations against Cuomo in a one-sentence statement.
“As we said before, Ms. Boylan’s claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false,” said Girouard.
Cuomo previously denied similar allegations made by Boylan last year, but has yet to personally address the recent more detailed allegations from Boylan.
De Blasio described the allegations made by Boylan as “really disturbing” and emphasized that any investigation into these claims must be conducted by an entity independent of the governor’s office, according to the Post.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio calls for an “independent investigation” into Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) after sexual harassment allegations. pic.twitter.com/UIaK3iKEnT
— The Recount (@therecount) February 25, 2021
“When a woman comes forward with this kind of very specific allegations, they have to be taken seriously,” de Blasio said.
“We need a full and independent investigation — I want to emphasize the word independent — investigation by some individual or entity that is not compromised, is not something that is dominated by the governor’s office, but an independent investigation.”
Besides de Blasio, numerous Republican lawmakers took to Twitter to voice their support for Boylan and condemn Cuomo, including Cuomo’s 2018 Gubernatorial opponent Marc Molinaro and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
I don’t live in the past but what we learned today is that this behavior shouldn’t not have been ignored and must now be addressed. We start by believing so we can get to the truth and protect victims. pic.twitter.com/WhElOKUzvK
— Marc Molinaro (@marcmolinaro) February 24, 2021
🚨🚨 My Statement Calling for the Resignation of Governor Cuomo 🚨🚨 https://t.co/gWvBm4rS31 pic.twitter.com/jZZEobvE92
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) February 24, 2021
Story cited here.