Gov. Andrew Cuomo allegedly behaved abusively toward his former wife during their marriage, according to a source who made the claims to a Cuomo biographer.
Michael Shnayerson, the author of The Contender: Andrew Cuomo, a Biography, detailed the allegations Saturday, citing a source close to the Kennedy family who claimed that the governor’s behavior toward his then-wife, Kerry Kennedy, resulted in her sleeping in a locked bathroom.
“They were living separate lives, but for six months Andrew refused to leave the house or respond to her lawyers,” he wrote for Vanity Fair. “On more than one night during that period, Kerry slept in a locked bathroom, according to a source close to the family, who recounted instances of physical abuse.”
A representative for Cuomo did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
SCHUMER AND GILLIBRAND BELATEDLY JOIN CALLS FOR CUOMO TO RESIGN
“I’ve been a human rights activist, and for women who have abusive husbands,” Kennedy allegedly told a friend, “and here I am enduring this abuse.”
Shnayerson claimed that Cuomo “hated what he couldn’t control,” which resulted in a rift with the Kennedy family.
“Andrew refused to do anything fun, anything without a clear benefit to his career,” one Kennedy sibling reportedly told the biographer. “We tried to be gracious, but … it turned on his lack of humanity. That’s where I started to think, ‘This is a bad guy.’ He’s just a bully.”
The alleged abuse inflicted by Cuomo, who has repeatedly denied claims of inappropriate touching, extended beyond his wife, Shnayerson said.
“He called older civil service staffers ‘white heads’ (deriding their hair color as a sign of their advanced age) or ‘f—heads’ or ‘dumb f—s,’ [and] he frequently threatened to fire outsiders,” he wrote, adding that Cuomo “ruled [as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration] with a sort of swagger.”
Cuomo is dealing with the fallout from mounting claims of sexual harassment.
On Friday, Cuomo’s seventh accuser stepped forward when former Albany reporter Jessica Bakeman claimed that Cuomo touched her inappropriately on several occasions. Bakeman joined Lindsey Boylan, Charlotte Bennett, Anna Ruch, Karen Hinton, Ana Liss, and an unnamed woman in accusing the governor of sexual impropriety.
In light of the allegations, New York Democrats have increasingly called on Cuomo to resign. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer released a joint statement Friday urging him to step down, joining Reps. Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the majority of the state’s congressional delegation in calling on Cuomo to resign.
Two investigations into the allegations are underway: Attorney General Letitia James appointed two attorneys to lead an investigation at the state level, and the New York State Assembly initiated an “impeachment investigation” under the direction of Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat.
Cuomo, who denies any wrongdoing, has repeatedly resisted calls to resign. The governor again refused to capitulate to the growing pressure during a conference call with reporters Friday.
“I’m not going to resign,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Representatives for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, of which Kerry Kennedy is president, and Shnayerson did not respond to a request for comment.
