Andrew Cuomo Created ‘Sexually Hostile’ Workplace as Governor While Staff Retaliated Against Accusers, DOJ Concludes

AP

The Department of Justice concluded that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo created a “sexually hostile” workplace and retaliated against those who accused him of wrongdoing.

According to The New York Times, the report concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed female staffers in a workplace centered around fear and intimidation. Back in August 2021, Cuomo resigned after New York Attorney General Letitia James found that the governor had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment allegations.

However, the DOJ report found that Cuomo gave preferential treatment to women on his staff based on their physical appearance, while subjugating them to unwelcome sexual contact, looks, and remarks.

Furthermore, the Justice Department stated that Cuomo was enabled by his the staff in the New York Executive Chamber, who retaliated against people who complained about the governor’s actions. The report claimed the staff’s response was “designed only to protect Cuomo from further accusations, rather than to protect employees from sexual harassment.”

“This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation,” said Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin in a statement to the NYT. “Governor Cuomo did not sexually harass anyone.”

Per the NYT:

The Justice Department’s findings were included in a settlement it reached with the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who succeeded Mr. Cuomo.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Hochul administration has initiated a series of reforms aimed at preventing future misconduct, which include new avenues of external reporting and investigation, an expansion of the chamber’s human resources department and removal of employees who were identified as having enabled Mr. Cuomo’s misconduct.

Following the report’s release, Hochul praised the DOJ and claimed her office is dedicated to rooting “out the culture of harassment” from the previous administration.

“The moment I took office, I knew I needed to root out the culture of harassment that had previously plagued the Executive Chamber and implement strong policies to promote a safe workplace for all employees, and took immediate action to do so.” Hochul said in a statement.

In 2021, Cuomo was charged for groping former staffer Brittany Commisso, but the Albany County district attorney dropped the charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence.