ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has offered his most detailed response yet to allegations that he sexually harassed two staffers, saying that his comments were intended to be "good natured."
In a statement released Sunday evening, the governor said he likes to “tease people in what I think is a good natured way … I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended.
”A member of a Sexual Harassment Working Group in New York, Erica Vladimer, replied to the governor's statement in a tweet: “This is an absolutely disgusting, gaslighting response," she wrote. “No ownership of his actions, blaming his victims for ‘misinterpreting’ his ‘playfulness.’"
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s office made its third proposal in less than 24 hours about how to conduct an independent investigation into his office after a second former staffer told The New York Times on Saturday night that Cuomo had harassed her.
Cuomo counsel Beth Garvey initially said Cuomo would appoint a former judge to look into the allegations. When that went over poorly, she pitched a new plan in which Attorney General Tish James and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore would jointly appoint an investigator. James rejected that idea, saying she wanted a referral that would give her office subpoena power in the matter.
On Sunday evening, Garvey said James alone will be asked to appoint a “qualified private lawyer” to handle the investigation. That lawyer and “other lawyers from the appointed lawyer's firm” would be fully deputized to conduct the probe.
James’ office did not immediately reply to a request for their thoughts on this latest offer.
Here is the full statement from Cuomo:
"Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office.
"I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.
"At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.
"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.
"To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.
"That's why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.
"Separately, my office has heard anecdotally that some people have reached out to Ms. Bennett to express displeasure about her coming forward. My message to anyone doing that is you have misjudged what matters to me and my administration and you should stop now — period."