Lindsey Boylan, a Democratic politician and former aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), has accused Cuomo of years-long sexually harassment, and suggested that other staffers covered it up.
In a Sunday Twitter tirade, Boylan, who served as both special advisor and deputy secretary for economic development to Gov. Cuomo, unloaded on her former boss for his consistent harassment of her.
“Yes, [Governor Cuomo] sexually harassed me for years,” she confirmed. “Many saw it, and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.”
Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched.
I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) December 13, 2020
She lamented that none of her colleagues expressed any solidarity with her, despite other women also being victims of Cuomo’s alleged sexual overtures.
“Not knowing what to expect what’s the most upsetting part aside from knowing that no one would do a damn thing even when they saw it,” she added. “No one. And I *know* I am not the only woman.”
She then described her hatred for Cuomo’s sexually-driven abuse of power.
“I’m angry to be put in this situation at all,” she concluded. “That because I am a woman, I can work hard my whole life to better myself and help others and yet still fall victim as countless women over generations have. Mostly silently. I hate that some men, like [Governor Cuomo] abuse their power.”
Progressive blogger Aditya Mukerjee and conservative commentator Breanna Morello also stated that they were aware of similar allegations that had been leveled against Gov. Cuomo.
“[Boylan] is not the first woman to tell me that she was sexually harassed by [Cuomo],” Mukerjee wrote in a tweet that was subsequently retweeted by Boylan. “She’s simply the first brave enough to speak publicly about it.”
Morello recounted a particularly anecdote about the Governor’s crude locker room talk with his staffers.
“Many women have made these accusations about the Governor but won’t go publicly with them,” she said. “Even heard he joked around about a lesbian advocate who he’d love to sleep with, but she wouldn’t sleep with him. Room was filled with male staffers who just laughed it off.”
However, in 2016, Cuomo himself was harshly critical of then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after audio footage was released where Trump made adult jokes about attractive women he had encountered.
“This is just disgusting,” Cuomo said. “There’s no better word for it, and to stand with this man because you happen to wear an elephant on your lapel really says that you’re putting your party loyalty in front of your values.”
Cuomo went on to claim that “silence is acceptance” in situations of that kind. It remains to be seen whether other Democratic politicians or ex-Cuomo staffers will speak out against the now-disgraced New York Governor.
