‘She’s a Very Strong Witness’: CNN Legal Experts React to Cuomo Accuser’s ‘Very Explosive Interview’
Charlotte Bennett, the former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) who has accused the governor of sexually harassing her, makes a strong, compelling witness, according to two legal experts interviewed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday night.
Bennett made her first television appearance about her accusations earlier in the evening with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell.
“I think he felt like he was untouchable in a lot of ways,” Bennett said about Cuomo, telling O’Donnell how he seemed “fixated” on asking her questions about her sexual history and experiences in relationships. Bennett, who is only 25 years old, also said that Cuomo told her he was “fine” dating anyone who was over 22.
“I thought he’s trying to sleep with me. The governor is trying to sleep with me, and I am deeply uncomfortable and I have to get out of this room as soon as possible,” said Bennett, expressly skeptical of Cuomo’s statement Wednesday for his “unintentional” actions that “made people feel uncomfortable.”
CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras introduced the clip as a “very explosive interview,” an assessment with which Blitzer concurred, adding that it was also “very painful to watch.”
Jennifer Rodgers, a former federal prosecutor and adjunct professor at NYU law school, rated Bennett as a “very strong witness,” noting that while the CBS interview obviously was not under oath in a courtroom, it still gave viewers information about her demeanor, the details she recalled, her contemporaneous text messages with a friend about the incident, all of which “adds to her credibility.”
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, also a former federal prosecutor, said that Cuomo’s “legal and political difficulties” were likely just starting, because there were already multiple witnesses who had come forward and the investigators will be able to subpoena witnesses and evidence.
Rodgers agreed, explaining that the New York attorney general’s investigators “have subpoena power and that includes subpoena power of the governor.” The Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination apply only to criminal conduct, “but we don’t see any criminal conduct here, at least not yet.”
Honig added that so far, Cuomo’s accusers all seemed “very credible.”
“They seem to be supported by texts that happened at the time,” he said. “That’s really important. The victims’ story seem to be consistent with one another. Governor Cuomo has not even truly taken issue with their accounts of what actually happened.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
