What Sexual Harassment Scandal? Gov. Cuomo Photographed Working Poolside With Staffer

By Sarah RumpfAug 5th, 2021, 5:36 pm
 
Andrew Cuomo

Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Sometimes an image scrolls by online that is so outlandish that you assume it’s probably a parody. But then sometimes that image really is real. That appears to be the case with a series of photos captured by a New York Post photographer of scandal-plagued Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) lounging poolside at the Executive Mansion in Albany, along with a female staffer.

The photos, apparently snapped by a Post photographer hiding in the trees and equipped with a zoom lens, show Cuomo seated poolside in a short-sleeve polo shirt and khaki pants, while a blonde woman (later identified as Cuomo secretary Stephanie Benton), “wearing a summer jumper, flip-flops cast aside” is seated on the ground next to him, typing on a laptop.

Unsurprisingly, the photos generated a strong reaction, mere days after the New York Attorney General’s investigation concluded that Cuomo had committed multiple acts of sexual harassment and misconduct with his staffers, including efforts to retaliate against the women who spoke out against him.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) weighed in on the photos as well, calling Cuomo a “criminal sexual predator.”

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.