A “selfie” photo dated December 31, 2019, of a woman identified as “Executive Assistant # 1” and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, included in a report by Attorney General Letitia James. The woman has filed a criminal complaint against Cuomo, who allegedly groped her bum in this photo.
Source: New York Attorney General
An executive assistant to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who told investigators he groped her chest and bottom, has spoken publicly for the first time since filing a criminal complaint against the governor.
Brittany Commisso said during an interview with CBS This Morning and the Albany Times Union that she filed the complaint against Cuomo because “it did the right thing,” according to a clip of the interview that aired Monday morning.
“The governor must be held accountable,” said Commisso. “What he did to me was a crime. He broke the law.”
Commisso is identified as “Executive Assistant # 1” in a report released last week by Attorney General Letitia James of Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of nearly a dozen women.
Commisso told investigators appointed by James that the governor grabbed her bottom and then rubbed it during a selfie photo taken at the Executive Mansion in Albany. Commisso also alleged Cuomo reached under her blouse and grabbed her chest while hugging her, according to the report.
The governor faces an expected impeachment trial and could be arrested if authorities determine that there are likely grounds to accept her complaint.
Cuomo has denied sexually molesting a woman. “I have never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances,” the governor said on Tuesday.
Rita Glavin, an attorney for the governor, has denied the timeline given by Commisso, claiming there is evidence, not in the report, that undermines the credibility of her story.
“This woman’s story, as stated in the report, is wrong,” Glavin said on Friday.
The 165-page report, which includes interviews with 179 witnesses and a review of tens of thousands of documents, outlines Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment of nearly a dozen women who work or have worked for the state and elsewhere.
The report said the governor did not consensually engage in touching, groping, kissing, and hugging, and made inappropriate remarks about women. It is also said that the governor retaliated against a former employee who publicly complained about his behavior.
Read more about the interview with CBS This Morning and Albany Times Union here.
—Dan Manganese from CNBC contributed to the coverage
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