House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) sexual allegations “credible,” breaking her silence Sunday just 24-hours after a second woman came forward with fresh claims.
“The women who have come forward with serious and credible charges against Governor Cuomo deserve to be heard and to be treated with dignity,” Pelosi said according to a report. “The independent investigation must have due process and respect for everyone involved.”
Cuomo said Sunday night he was “truly sorry” if “some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation,” as he sought to rebut claims by a former aide she was sexually harassed by him.
“To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” the 63-year-old said in a statement released by his office, adding he had teased people about their personal lives in an attempt to be “playful.”
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that,” he said.
Cuomo’s claim of innocence came after he asked the New York state’s attorney general and chief judge to appoint an independent investigator to examine the allegations of sexual harassment made against him.