Charlotte Bennett, a former aide of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, blasted the governor for refusing to apologize to her after she accused him of sexual harassment.
“It’s not an apology, it’s not an issue of my feelings, it’s an issue of his actions,” she told CBS Evening News on Thursday. “The fact is that he was sexually harassing me, and he has not apologized for sexually harassing me. And he can’t even use my name.”
Bennett referenced a press conference in which Cuomo addressed the three allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him, but refused to admit wrongdoing.
“I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional, and I truly and deeply apologize for it,” Cuomo said.
Bennett alleged Cuomo quizzed her about her sex life and asked whether she would be open to a relationship with an older man.
He also repeatedly asked about her history as a sexual assault survivor.
“So he goes, ‘You were raped. You were raped and abused and assaulted,’” Bennett recalled.
During another instance, Bennett said Cuomo called her into his office, asked her to turn off the tape recorder she was using to take dictation, and then said he was lonely and looking for a girlfriend.
“He asked if I had trouble enjoying being with someone because of my trauma,” Bennett said. “The governor asked if I was sensitive to intimacy.”
