Rep. Elise Stefanik is calling for an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegation against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I am publicly calling for an independent investigation into the serious allegations of pervasive workplace sexual harassment and verbal abuse by Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” the New York Republican said in a statement. “The people of New York deserve a governor who lives up to his own public statements on sexual harassment.”
The statement comes after Lindsey Boylan, who served as Cuomo’s deputy secretary of economic development and a special adviser from March 2015 to October 2018, tweeted Sunday that Cuomo “sexually harassed” her “for years” and often made comments regarding her physical appearance.
“Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched,” Boylan said. “I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.”
Boylan added in another tweet that she knows she is “not the only woman” to face such treatment from Cuomo.
Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it.
No one.
And I *know* I am not the only woman.
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) December 13, 2020
Boylan is currently running for Manhattan borough president.
During the governor’s Monday COVID-19 briefing, reporters asked Cuomo to address the allegations made by Boylan, which he said were “just not true.”
“I heard about the tweet and what it said about comments that I had made. And it’s not true,” Cuomo said. “I fought for and I believe a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion and express issues and concerns that she has. But it’s just not true.”
The call for an investigation comes after Republicans and other right-leaning political figures have been grilled if such sexual misconduct allegations are made, such as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.
