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Second former aid accuses Cuomo of sexual harassment

‘I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared

ALBANY, N.Y. — A second woman has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, according to a new report.

Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to Cuomo, told The New York Times that the governor asked her inappropriate personal questions, told her he was open to relationships with women in their 20s, and left her feeling that he “wanted to sleep with me.”

Bennett, who worked as an executive assistant and health-policy adviser, told the NYT the interactions took place in the spring, as the coronavirus pandemic flared.

“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the Times.

Bennett claims she reported Cuomo’s conduct to his chief of staff and was transferred to another job with an office at the other side of the Capitol, Bennett said. She left the administration in November.

The revelations come after another former staffer, Lindsey Boylan, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, including a claim that he planted an unwanted kiss on her in his office.

Cuomo defended himself in a statement released Saturday night.

“Ms. Bennett’s initial impression was right: I was trying to be a mentor to her. I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported,” he said.

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