Cuomo accuser describes alleged groping at mansion

One of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) accusers spoke out for the first time this week about her encounters with the governor, including an alleged groping incident.

The unnamed woman spoke at length with the Times Union about her allegation that Cuomo, 63, groped her at the governor’s mansion after he asked for help with some phone issues.

“I remember exactly what I was wearing,” the woman said. “I remember him slamming [the door] so hard that I remember thinking to myself that I’m sure the staff is, like, ‘Is everything OK up there?’ He came right back and he pulled me close and all I remember is seeing his hand, his big hand. I remember looking down like, ‘Holy s—.'”

The woman, who is roughly half Cuomo’s age, told the newspaper that his hand went under her blouse and grabbed her breast over her bra.

“And that wasn’t just a hug,” she said. “He went for it and I kind of like was, ‘Oh, the door is right there.’ … I was mortified that a woman who works here is going to come in and see. … I was terrified of that happening, because that’s not who I am and that’s not what I’m here for.”

The woman went on to say that the incident wasn’t the first time she felt uncomfortable around Cuomo, adding that he had given her tight hugs and kisses on the cheek since she joined the team in 2017.

“It was never in front of anybody. He made sure that it was either at the mansion or, if it was at the Capitol, that no one was around,” she said.

The woman said the hugs got so tight that she knew the governor was trying to feel her breast against his chest.

The Hill has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

The governor has denied any inappropriate physical contact with any women, while acknowledging that some of his comments “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”

The Times Union reported that those in Cuomo’s inner circle know who the woman is and that she has been receiving fewer work assignments and been given dirty looks in the workplace since coming forward.

The groping allegations are the most serious among the numerous women who have publicly accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct in the past few months.

The state attorney general’s office has launched an investigation into the governor, and many Democrats and Republicans at the state and national level have called for Cuomo to resign. He has said he has no plans to step down.