Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) on Tuesday ducked a question regarding whether he will run for governor for a fourth term as he faces dueling scandals and calls to resign from top New York Democrat leaders.
“Today is not a day for politics,” Cuomo replied when asked during a press conference about another possible gubernatorial bid. “I’m focusing on my job.”
“You don’t know any facts, right? You know allegations. You don’t know facts,” the governor then said to the reporter who posed the question.
“Let’s operate on facts,” he added. “We have an investigation. Let’s get the facts and then we can have a discussion on the facts.”
Cuomo’s comments came hours after the Times-Union reported that a sixth woman has accused the New York Democrat of sexual harassment.
The Times-Union reported:
An official close to the matter on Tuesday confirmed to the Times Union that the new allegation had been made. The governor’s office learned of the matter on Monday, an aide said. […] The complaint was reported to the governor’s counsel by other employees in the Executive Chamber. The information also was relayed by the governor’s office to the attorney general’s office, which is coordinating an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment that have been made against the governor.
The Times-Union said that the alleged victim, whose identity has been withheld by the newspaper, is an Executive Chamber staff member.
When asked about the latest allegation, Cuomo replied, “I’m not aware” of the claim, before once against denying that he ever touched anyone inappropriately.
“I never touched anyone inappropriately … I never made any inappropriate advances,” Cuomo stated. “No one ever told me at that time I made them feel uncomfortable.”
On Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) appointed outside attorneys to review allegations against Cuomo. Joon Kim, former acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and employment lawyer Anne Clark will investigation the claims.
“There is no question that they both have the knowledge and background necessary to lead this investigation and provide New Yorkers with the answers they deserve,” the attorney general said.
The appointments came as New York lawmakers were privately debating whether to join calls for Cuomo to resign, or urge patience while the investigation plays out.
A group of 21 women in the state Assembly released a statement Monday asking that James be given time to complete her probe.
The group included the the no. 2 Democrat in the Assembly, Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes. The lawmakers began working on the statement Sunday night after the Senate’s top leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, called on Cuomo to resign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.