Andrew Cuomo Photographed Kissing and Grabbing Lawyer Who Defended Him From Sexual Harassment Accusations
Laura Brett/Sipa USA via AP Images
Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was photographed on the evening of his New York City mayoral election defeat kissing and grabbing the lawyer who defended him from sexual harassment accusations.
New York Times photographer Mark Peterson took several photographs of Cuomo kissing and grabbing the head of his lawyer Rita Glavin last week during his election night party.
Getty Images photographer Charly Triballeau also snapped a photo of Cuomo kissing Glavin on the cheek.
According to New York Times correspondent Ben Oreskes, “Glavin said she was congratulating Cuomo on a hard-fought campaign as they were being jostled in a packed crowd full of well-wishers on election night” at the time of the kiss.
Glavin served as Cuomo’s main attorney as he fought multiple accusations of sexual harassment, including groping and non-consensual kissing, between 2020 and 2023.
According to New York Focus, Glavin – who received $5.68 million of taxpayers’ money to defend Cuomo – “sought to poke holes in the report and the account of Cuomo’s accusers, at times successfully.”
Glavin also sought to access the gynaecological records of one of Cuomo’s accusers.
Cuomo’s New York City mayoral election opponent, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, elicited gasps from the audience during a debate against Cuomo last month after he revealed that one of the former governor’s accusers was sitting in the audience.
“Mr. Cuomo, in 2021, thirteen different women who worked in your administration credibly accused you of sexual harassment,” said Mamdani. “Since then, you have spent more than $20 million in taxpayer funds to defend yourself, all while describing these allegations as entirely political. You have even gone so far as to legally go after these women. One of those women, Charlotte Bennett, is here in the audience this evening.”
As the audience gasped, Mamdani continued, “You sought to access her private gynecological records. She cannot speak up for herself because you lodged a defamation case against her. I, however, can speak. What do you say to the thirteen women that you sexually harassed?”
Amid the allegations, Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021.
