A third woman has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., of making unwanted sexual advances, according to a published report.
Anna Ruch, who met Cuomo at a wedding reception in September 2019, said she was forced to remove his hand from her lower back, and pulled away after the governor moved in to kiss her, The New York Times reported Monday.
The latest accusation against Cuomo prompted Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., to call on the governor to resign. Rice tweeted a link to the Times article with the text, “The time has come. The Governor must resign,” per The Hill.
Ruch’s account came after two former aides accused Cuomo of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Before those accusations became public, the governor was involved in a controversy about the state under reporting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
A media darling during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, Cuomo has seen his third term thrust into turmoil.
Ruch, now 33, said Cuomo described her as “aggressive” after she removed his hand from her back. He then asked if he could kiss her, loudly enough for a friend to hear, and moved closer before the woman retreated.
“I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed,” said Ruch, whose account was corroborated by the friend. “I turned my head away and didn’t have words in that moment.”
A Cuomo spokesman contacted about Ruch’s claims referred to a statement the governor released Sunday night, when he said some things he has said “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”
Source: Newmax
