The woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against the governor of New York State stepped out of anonymity Monday in a TV interview, where she recounts how “her dream job” has become “a nightmare” and asks that ‘Andrew Cuomo “is held to account”.
“It was the right thing to do (file a complaint). The governor must be held to account (…) What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law”, declared , on CBS News, Brittany Commisso, whose complaint filed last week in Albany County, the state capital, paves the way for possible legal action for Andrew Cuomo.
Brittany Commisso is one of eleven women named in an explosive report released last week by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who accuses Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. She is anonymized there under the name “executive assistant # 1”. “I am also Brittany Commisso (…) I am a woman, I have a voice, and I decided to use it”, she says. “For me it was a dream job, and unfortunately it turned into a nightmare,” she adds.
During the 25 minutes of interview excerpts broadcast Monday on CBS, she recounted how the governor went from “hugs to say goodbye” to “hugs more and more tight (…) with kisses on cheek, “until on one occasion,” he quickly turns his head to kiss me on the mouth. “
Governor Cuomo denies
Brittany Commisso also returned to two incidents recounted in the report, the first when the governor allegedly grabbed her buttocks during a selfie, and then, in November 2020, at her official residence, when he ran his hand under her blouse. to touch his chest.
“I vividly remember looking down, seeing his hand, a large hand, and saying to myself ‘oh my god this is happening.’ It happened so fast, he didn’t say anything. . When I stopped him, he just stopped and he left, “she explained.
Last Tuesday, the governor assured that he had “never touched someone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances.” Since then, his lawyers have also sought to counter-attack, in particular by broadcasting a story of the day of November 16, 2020, from emails, supposed to show that Brittany Commisso exchanged that day with his colleagues in a light tone.
Mr. Cuomo, whose close associate, Melissa DeRosa, announced her resignation on Sunday, also faces the threat of a possible impeachment trial in the New York State Senate.
“a matter of weeks”
But members of the judiciary committee in the other house of parliament (the lower house) were left unclear on the schedule after a meeting on Monday, even though they have already let the governor know he has until the end of the week to send them their observations.
“We still need to examine additional documents”, declared Monday during a press briefing the secretary of this commission, Charles Lavine. “It is a matter of weeks rather than months,” added Lower House Speaker Democrat Carl Heastie, reaffirming that the governor had lost the confidence of members of the Assembly.
Once this committee has decided on a dismissal of the governor, it must be adopted by a simple majority by the lower house, before the start, at least thirty days later, of a possible impeachment trial before the Senate.
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