Cuomo wanted to bang me too: Second aide comes forward to claim he harassed her last June, Cawthorn

#Cuomo #Harassment #NewYork #Fredo #Deomcrat

A second aide has claimed Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed her - at the height of the pandemic.

Charlotte Bennett, 25, said the New York Governor told her he was open to dating women in their 20s and asked her questions about her personal life in June.

It comes after Lindsey Boylan, 36, claimed he asked her to play strip poker and kissed her on the lips without her permission when she worked for him in 2017.

Cuomo, 63, said he 'never intended to act in any way that was inappropriate' with Ms Bennett and his press secretary said Ms Boylan's claims were 'false'.

The governor yesterday promised a review by former federal judge - appointed by Bill Clinton - Barbara Jones into the allegations against him.

But prominent Democrats such as Alessandra Biaggi, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Carl Heastie turned their backs on him and called for a 'truly independent probe'.

Ms Bennett, who was an executive assistant before she resigned in November, claims on numerous occasions, the governor asked her questions about her personal life.

The questions in early June included those that pertained to a romantic relationship between two people of different ages.

Bennett said Cuomo also made comments stating he was open to dating women in their 20s, which she took as overtures to a s***** relationship.

The former aide did state that Cuomo never made an attempt to touch her but added that he was lonely and 'can't even hug anyone'.

Bennett says she said she missed hugging her parents, to which she claims he said: 'No, I mean like really hugged somebody?'

Bennett told the New York Times: 'I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared.

'And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.'

Bennett, who served in a number of roles for Cuomo - including executive assistant and health policy advisor - said the governor made a number of concerning comments to her last spring during the height of the pandemic in the state.

Bennett informed Cuomo's chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, of the interaction and was transferred to her role as the health policy adviser.

Her new office was in the complete opposite side of the Capitol. She also said she gave a statement to Judith Mogul, special counsel to the governor.

She also told her parents and friends of the encounters, soon after they occurred, informing them of the growing discomfort she had with working with him.

According to her LinkedIn, Bennett is now working at Primary Maternity Care as a Director of Operations.

Bennett said she initially saw Cuomo as a 'father figure', telling him she even played middle school soccer against one of his daughters.

'We got along really well,' she said, noting that she didn't think anything of the questions about her dating life at first.

Bennett sent her mother a text on January 20, following an extensive conversation she had with Gov. Cuomo.

'Had a really long convo with Gov today,' she texted, telling her mother of the two-hour talk she had with Cuomo.

'He had a lot to say and was very emotional and serious but also asked a lot of questions,' she wrote. 'He got emotional. Not me.'

As she transitioned roles and began working in Albany, Bennett noted that the relationship she had with Cuomo began to change by mid-May.

On May 15, she got to the Capitol at 7am and soon engaged in a chat with Cuomo about her love life.

She told the Times the governor began gossiping with her about who she had been romantically involved with in the governor's staff.

Bennett shared the conversation with other staff members.

During the chat, Bennett told Cuomo of a speech she was scheduled to give to Hamilton students about her experience as a survivor as s***** assault.

She said that the governor soon became enamored with her story.

'The way he was repeating, 'You were raped and abused and attacked and assaulted and betrayed,' over and over again while looking me directly in the eyes was something out of a horror movie,' she said in a text to a friend. 'It was like he was testing me.'

Bennett describes the May 15 encounter 'as the turning point in our relationship.'

'Anything before it I now see differently,' she said. 'I now understand that as grooming.'

The former aide said three weeks later, Cuomo began asking her questions about her love life after they had finished working in his office with another aide who had already left.

Bennett said the governor even asked her whether she was monogamous or enjoyed having s** with older men.

During a text with a friend on June 5, Bennett expressed being shaken and upset by the encounter and said she was even worried about writing down what happened.

'Something just happened and I can't even type it out or put it in a video,' Ms. Bennett stated.

Bennett did tell her friend that there had been nothing physical between her and Cuomo.