Charlotte Bennett, former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), told investigators during a four-hour Zoom call on Monday that he has a “preoccupation with his hand size.” Bennett is one of seven women who have accused the governor of sexual harassment.
Debra Katz, Bennett’s lawyer, said that the 25-year-old former aide also turned over “contemporaneous records, as well as other examples of documentary evidence” against Cuomo. In a statement, Katz also commented on Cuomo’s “preoccupation with his hand size and what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff.”
Katz added: “The investigators have been moving quickly, and with sensitivity, to get to the heart of these allegations. We remain confident that their investigation will substantiate Charlotte’s claims of sexual harassment against Gov. Cuomo, as well as the failure of his senior staff to meet their mandatory reporting requirements under the very laws he signed.”
Attorney General Letitia James (D), who hired outside lawyers to speak with Bennett, has also reportedly reached out to Ana Liss, a former aide to the 63-year-old governor.
Liss has also accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, alleging that he addressed her as “sweetheart,” kissed her on both cheeks and grabbed her waist before posing for a photo in May 2014.
Before Liss came forward with her accusations, she received a call from Cuomo’s spokesman and adviser Rich Azzopardi, who asked her if Lindsey Boylan, a former aide who has also accused Cuomo of harassment, had “reached out” to her.
According to Azzopardi, he made the call in order to give former Cuomo aides “a heads up” that they might be contacted by Boylan, her lawyers or “members of the press.”
Cuomo has denied the allegations lodged against him, claiming that he never intentionally harassed anyone. Cuomo says he intends to cooperate with the investigation.
