“He has a way of making you feel very comfortable around him, almost like you’re his friend,” Ms. McGrath said. “But then you walk away from the encounter or conversation, in your head going, ‘I can’t believe I just had that interaction with the governor of New York.’”
Ms. McGrath said that it was only after the fact that she found these interactions to be troubling — a sense that grew with each new sexual harassment accusation lodged against the governor, and his blanket denials.
Mariann Wang, a lawyer for Ms. McGrath, said that “this would be unacceptable behavior from any boss, much less the governor,” and that Ms. McGrath’s experience reflected larger issues for women in the workplace in Albany’s corridors of power.
“The women in the executive chamber are there to work for the State of New York,” Ms. Wang said, “not serve as his eye candy or prospective girlfriend.”
Multiple women, including former and current aides, have accused the governor of inappropriate remarks and behavior, including unwanted touching and unwelcome sexual advances.
Mr. Cuomo, 63, has denied any wrongdoing, and has suggested that his relationships with employees he viewed as friends may have been misinterpreted.
On Friday, Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Mr. Cuomo, responded to Ms. McGrath’s allegations by saying that “the governor has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead, or hand. Yes, he has posed for photographs with his arm around them. Yes, he uses Italian phrases like ‘ciao bella.’”
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/nyregion/alyssa-mcgrath-cuomo-harassment.html
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