The first woman to accuse Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment slammed Chris Cuomo on Monday over the revelation that the CNN anchor used his connections in the media business to gather information about his brother’s accusers.
“It’s almost as if a whole system is set up to protect powerful men from accountability,” Lindsey Boylan wrote in a tweet.
It’s almost as if a whole system is set up to protect powerful men from accountability. https://t.co/7zvqJfJR8X
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) November 29, 2021
Her comment came in response to a reporter’s tweet showing a text exchange in which the younger Cuomo asked a former top governor’s aide to “please let me help” with the governor’s response to the mounting accusations.
“Two things I will never fully understand: how many people can let abuse after abuse happen without speaking up and how many people need to see a group of women cry on camera to believe we are telling the truth about that abuse,” Boylan added in a later tweet.
The texts were revealed in a set of newly released records from state Attorney General Letitia James’ sexual harassment investigation into Andrew Cuomo.
Boylan also quote tweeted a post from CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter in which Stelter defended Chris Cuomo’s silence on the matter during his Monday night show.
“For what it’s worth, when Chris Cuomo addressed his actions on the air back in August, he said ‘this will be my final word on it,’ and he hasn’t addressed the matter on TV since,” Stelter tweeted.
What we mean when we say many people help in abuses of power along the way: https://t.co/sOXqA92Zl9
— Lindsey Boylan (@LindseyBoylan) November 30, 2021
“What we mean when we say many people help in abuses of power along the way,” Boylan said in response.
Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Cuomo, became the first woman to publicly accuse Cuomo of sexual assault when she published an essay in February detailing alleged sexual harassment she endured while working for the governor, including unwanted kissing and touching.
She wrote in the essay that Cuomo, with the help of top female aides, “created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected.”
Boylan recounted a flight she shared with the governor from an event in October 2017 in which Cuomo allegedly said, “Let’s play strip poker.” On another occasion, Boylan says the pair met one-on-one for a briefing when Cuomo allegedly kissed her.
While Chris Cuomo previously admitted to helping his brother navigate sexual assault allegations made by almost a dozen women, the newly released documents contradict the younger Cuomo’s claims that he was “not an advisor” and that he “wasn’t in control of anything,” and that he was only involved in meetings to listen and offer his take.
However, the documents reveal that the Cuomo Prime Time host was regularly in touch with Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s former top aide, as one after another the sexual harassment allegations began to pile up, the investigation shows.
DeRosa regularly checked in with Cuomo asking whether he knew when damaging articles were expected to be published. He often responded that he would reach out to his media connections to gather more information.
CNN said in a statement on Monday that it plans to review the documents to figure out their “significance” the the outlet.
“The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney General deserve a thorough review and consideration,” the network said. “We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days.”
Source: National Review
