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In reply to the discussion: Should Andrew Cuomo resign? [View all]Celerity
(44,190 posts)114. 'Completely Violated': Women Describe Cuomo's Groping and Intimidation
The new account of a state trooper bolsters a meticulous new report on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos misdeeds and how his inner circle allowed such conduct to fester.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/nyregion/cuomo-toxic-workplace.html
The governor placed his finger on the back of the troopers neck, standing behind her in an elevator at his Manhattan office, tracing the path of her spine with a two-word narration: Hey, you. Sometimes, he asked questions Why didnt she wear a dress? Why pursue marriage when your sex drive goes down afterward? Could he kiss her? and sometimes, he made statements: He remarked that his ideal girlfriend could handle pain. He said that the trooper, in her late 20s, was too old for him. He directed her to say nothing of their conversations. The trooper was perhaps most unsettled after an event on Long Island in 2019. As she held a door open for him, she felt the palm of his hand on her bellybutton, pressing toward her right hip, where she kept her gun. I felt completely violated, she later told investigators. But, you know, Im here to do a job.
Doing a job at the behest of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was long known to be taxing and often demeaning work. But a 165-page report released on Tuesday by the state attorney general is at once the fullest accounting yet of his executive misdeeds and a meticulous rendering of how that conduct was permitted to fester in the first place. To exist as a woman in Mr. Cuomos orbit, the report suggested, was to live the dichotomy between fear and flirtation, a space where the boss could toggle between intimate and intimidating and where his senior-most aides seemed to operate with a singular focus on the governors reputation and personal comfort.
In fact, the report says, as Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed women inside and outside his government, greater pains were taken to protect him from himself: The executive chamber declined to report harassment allegations from an executive assistant, Charlotte Bennett, to the appropriate state agency and moved instead to establish a practice preventing certain female staff members from being left alone with the governor. The composition of his circle, in the reports telling, was likewise intended to minimize exposure for Mr. Cuomo and accentuate a culture of fear around confronting him, with access granted chiefly to those with a proven, personal loyalty.
Those with Mr. Cuomos ear included state employees like Melissa DeRosa, his top aide, and outside advisers like his brother Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor, with no formal obligation to the state. The result, investigators wrote, was that employees who are not part of this inner circle of loyalists would rightfully believe and did believe that any complaint or allegation about the governor would be handled by people whose overriding interest is in protecting the governor. So bleak were the options available to Mr. Cuomos victims, witness interviews showed, that even unwelcome sexualized attention could be seen as a better alternative to the otherwise tense, stressful and toxic experience in the executive chamber.
snip
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/nyregion/cuomo-toxic-workplace.html
The governor placed his finger on the back of the troopers neck, standing behind her in an elevator at his Manhattan office, tracing the path of her spine with a two-word narration: Hey, you. Sometimes, he asked questions Why didnt she wear a dress? Why pursue marriage when your sex drive goes down afterward? Could he kiss her? and sometimes, he made statements: He remarked that his ideal girlfriend could handle pain. He said that the trooper, in her late 20s, was too old for him. He directed her to say nothing of their conversations. The trooper was perhaps most unsettled after an event on Long Island in 2019. As she held a door open for him, she felt the palm of his hand on her bellybutton, pressing toward her right hip, where she kept her gun. I felt completely violated, she later told investigators. But, you know, Im here to do a job.
Doing a job at the behest of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was long known to be taxing and often demeaning work. But a 165-page report released on Tuesday by the state attorney general is at once the fullest accounting yet of his executive misdeeds and a meticulous rendering of how that conduct was permitted to fester in the first place. To exist as a woman in Mr. Cuomos orbit, the report suggested, was to live the dichotomy between fear and flirtation, a space where the boss could toggle between intimate and intimidating and where his senior-most aides seemed to operate with a singular focus on the governors reputation and personal comfort.
In fact, the report says, as Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed women inside and outside his government, greater pains were taken to protect him from himself: The executive chamber declined to report harassment allegations from an executive assistant, Charlotte Bennett, to the appropriate state agency and moved instead to establish a practice preventing certain female staff members from being left alone with the governor. The composition of his circle, in the reports telling, was likewise intended to minimize exposure for Mr. Cuomo and accentuate a culture of fear around confronting him, with access granted chiefly to those with a proven, personal loyalty.
Those with Mr. Cuomos ear included state employees like Melissa DeRosa, his top aide, and outside advisers like his brother Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor, with no formal obligation to the state. The result, investigators wrote, was that employees who are not part of this inner circle of loyalists would rightfully believe and did believe that any complaint or allegation about the governor would be handled by people whose overriding interest is in protecting the governor. So bleak were the options available to Mr. Cuomos victims, witness interviews showed, that even unwelcome sexualized attention could be seen as a better alternative to the otherwise tense, stressful and toxic experience in the executive chamber.
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Here is the full 165 page report, would be surprised if the No votes read it and stay No
Celerity
Aug 2021
#8
Well Matt Gaetz wasn't mean to someone at a fundraising cotillion that one time so he can stay.
BannonsLiver
Aug 2021
#11
Anyone who gets emotional about politics probably shouldn't be involved. Don't you agree?
brooklynite
Aug 2021
#51
My guess is he'll take a beat to process the report and will decide against running again.
BannonsLiver
Aug 2021
#59
So IOW, female staffers can just go on feeling unsafe. Because Republicans.
50 Shades Of Blue
Aug 2021
#31
Those rules consist of sacrificing women and their safety. Fuck that shit.
WhiskeyGrinder
Aug 2021
#44
The report is literally the Democratic Attorney General's official findings
Sympthsical
Aug 2021
#26
His constituents are represented by legislators. Those legislators can impeach him
Jose Garcia
Aug 2021
#40
Fine by me as long as it's NY. Texas likes to sticks nose in everyone's business.
LakeArenal
Aug 2021
#58
But there will be style points, and morally we can all feel good about ourselves.
BannonsLiver
Aug 2021
#29
Should additional safety precautions be implemented to prevent further assaults?
tritsofme
Aug 2021
#41
As a NYC'r: sadly - yes, while because he's done good things (esp the pandemic); but this is...
electric_blue68
Aug 2021
#42
Yes, she was extremely cautious and was vaccinated as soon as her age group came up
karynnj
Aug 2021
#93
The AG said Cuomo violated state and federal laws. He must resign or be impeached.
WhiskeyGrinder
Aug 2021
#48
I was upset but was willing to wait, cognizant of liars, and trolls ...
electric_blue68
Aug 2021
#92
Whatever is most likely to stop us from ending up with a Republican governor.
Crunchy Frog
Aug 2021
#62
If he doesn't resign he will be impeached. Every NY federal Dem, plus Biden, etc
Celerity
Aug 2021
#79
you are now sliding the goalposts. Impeachment is a political move, not a legal move.
Celerity
Aug 2021
#99
You are now demanding that he be tried and convicted in a court of law before he needs to go.
Celerity
Aug 2021
#102
I disagree with you completely. Biden, Pelosi, 100% of the NY congressional delegation, etc. all
Celerity
Aug 2021
#107