Allies of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo circulated an open letter in an attempt to discredit the first woman to accuse him of sexual harassment, according to a report.
People tied to Cuomo circulated the letter criticizing Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s first accuser, days after the allegations emerged, in the hopes of getting former staffers to sign, according to a report by the New York Times.
“Weaponizing a claim of sexual harassment for personal political gain or to achieve notoriety cannot be tolerated,” the letter said. “False claims demean the veracity of credible claims.”
CUOMO ACCUSER’S ATTORNEY CONDEMNS NEW YORK ASSEMBLY’S CHOICE OF OUTSIDE COUNSEL
Cuomo was involved in drafting the letter, which was never released, and it remains unclear how many people were asked to sign the letter, the report added.
Jill Basinger, Boylan’s attorney, condemned the letter in a statement shared with the New York Times.
“Once again, a victim of sexual harassment who has the courage to tell her story is put in the position of not only having to relive the trauma of a toxic work environment but defend herself against the malicious leaking of supposed personnel files, character assassinations and a whisper campaign of retaliation,” she said. “This page needs to be ripped out of the governor’s harassment handbook.”
The governor, who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven women, is the subject of two investigations into the allegations. Attorney General Letitia James appointed Joon Kim and Anne Clark to lead the state’s investigation, and members of the New York State Assembly initiated an “impeachment inquiry” into the charges at the direction of Speaker Carl Heastie.
Despite mounting pressure from Democrats, Cuomo, who denied any inappropriate touching, vowed not to resign. He told reporters during a conference call on Friday he is “not going to resign” because he “did not do what has been alleged.”
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Representatives for Cuomo and Basinger did not immediately reply to the Washington Examiner‘s requests for comment.
